The War Within
by squeekness
Summary: Kimble's shattered selves prove to be most troublesome while Remy waits for the Games Master. Part 25 of my Kimble series.
1. Chapter 1

Summary : Kimble's shattered selves prove to be most troublesome while Remy waits for the Games Master. Part 25 of my Kimble series.

Notes : Rated M for language, violence, and sexual situations.

AU but only because I chose to change a few things in my dear friends' histories for simplification, nothing drastic so please forgive. I've been working on this story for years so I do ask that you don't use any of my non-Marvel universe characters without my permission. I love my Siskans as I do my children.

For anyone who is interested, I have a forum to discuss my work or if you just wanted to say hello. I would love to hear from you. I will respond to your reviews there or answer any questions you may have as well. The link is on my profile page.

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(One)

It took a little while, but Kimble slowly began to come out of his plasma induced stupor. Zander had taken such a heavy dose of plasma from Neal that he'd been out cold for almost two hours after Remy had left him. Gambit had withdrawn from the cell to let him sleep, but hadn't gone far. He was hanging out in the Lab and waiting, catching a quick bite to eat, wanting to be there the moment Kimble woke. Henry kept checking in on Kimble and knew he was coming out of it when the Siskan began to tremble as if he was cold. The doctor called for the thief to join him down at the holding cells and they waited the last few minutes for Kimble to come fully around.

Earlier, Beast brought Remy up to date on the things that had happened while he was away, specifically Creed's little visit. Gambit was quiet as he was told about Molly's encounter with Sabretooth in the hallway. She had freaked out, went savage, and had to be restrained. It upset Remy greatly to hear it. He cared a great deal for her and would go looking for her right that moment if Kimble hadn't needed him more. He had been wondering why she hadn't sought him out after he arrived. When he was finished here with Kimble, he would go look for her.

Henry informed him that Molly was okay now, just a little out of sorts. She claimed that Creed was the Lion Man from her nightmares, but no one knew for sure if it was true. Henry knew Gambit hadn't been told Sabretooth was Molly's father and didn't offer anything more. He didn't need to, Shi'ow-ri was quick to whisper to her host,** _/ He knows something about Molly._ /** These were the same words she'd offered at the stadium after he'd picked up something from Logan.

_What is it?_

**_/ I can't tell. Maybe we can sneak around later and find out. /_**

_You a girl after my own heart, chere._

Henry went on to speak about how the purpose of Sabretooth's visit was to release Kimble. He had known that SHIELD and Jael were looking for him and he had nowhere to run. He came to release Kimble and then allowed Fury to take him away. Henry had noted the change in Creed. He was passive, not so angry and arrogant as before. Kimble had definitely been a positive influence on him. Remy was glad to hear it. It justified his own beliefs that the Kundatesh could be used for good things and that Kimble had never intended to hurt anyone by using it. No matter where Kimble had gone – the Freedom Kings or with Creed – he had made it better for someone. As much as Kimble insisted he was a sickness, Remy knew better than to believe it.

After a couple more minutes, Kimble finally woke. He'd twisted out of the blanket as he'd slept and was shivering now. They went into the holding cell and Beast lay the blanket back over him, grimacing at the horrible welts across his waist and chest. Although most of the damage Kimble had done to himself was gone, five large red scars still remained. At least his skin was nice and warm, he wasn't freezing like he had been before.

Kimble took the blanket numbly as Henry gave it to him and slid it clumsily over his shoulders. His hair was a tangled mess and his lips were dry and cracked. He was incredibly thirsty but Henry had learned from when Kimble had first came home -- he'd been thirsty then, too, and had gobbled water down only to vomit it right back up again. This time Beast only gave him a couple of ice chips at a time, watching him closely to see if he would sick them up again. Kimble didn't, he just chomped on the chips sloppily and drooled a bit, not completely awake. He blinked repeatedly, unable to see clearly. His eyes kept tearing up from being dry and scratchy. "I feels like shit..." he complained. "What happened ta me?"

"We found someone who could repair you."

"Why?" Lakotashay asked roughly as she came to the fore, her anger returning.

"It was Remy's decision."

'Shay looked up as Gambit walked in and snarled at him, "You asshole!"

She had no clear memory of being revived or of the playful spill Kimble had taken with Remy. The words he'd shared in the cell with Remy remained Kimble's and he'd taken them with him. 'Shay was no fool, she had some idea something had gone on behind her back. Remy's arrogant, beaming smile only made this belief stronger. She didn't trust him, not one bit. She could see that something in his shine had changed, too, from the last time she had seen him. It was brighter, stronger, more confident. It didn't make her the least bit happy to see it.

Gambit's mood was much too bright to be dimmed by the Quitter's words, he didn't falter or lose the teasing smile he'd come in with. He remembered Kimble's laughter well enough for the two of them and how good it was to hear it. He had anticipated Lakotashay's stubbornness and wasn't about to be regret his decision to keep Kimble alive. "Now dat's no way to greet a friend, especially when he happen to be yo' Master."

"You ain't our Master! You wants some stupid cunt faced girl, not us!" 'Shay snarled, all too ready to use Kimble's last hateful words to her own advantage.

"Gambit is yo' Master and no girl's ever gonna keep me from doin' right by you, chere," Remy replied nice and easy, his arrogant smile still wide. This angry child would never be able to scratch the surface of the hope the Lover had given him only a scant couple hours ago. He would wear her down by whatever means he had to, his love was that powerful.

'Shay could see she hadn't scored on that one at all. It didn't silence her. "You wants ta do right by us? Kills us! If you ain't got the balls, I kin do it myself!"

"Non. Nobody dies on Gambit's watch."

She growled at him, an angry sneer on her face. "Yer not our Master! Yer just some asshole with a heart full of lies! An' we ain't under nobody's watch! Not no more! You ain't gots no right ta decide when we's gonna die or not! Not you! Not nobody!"

"I beg to differ," Henry said, asserting himself. "As a doctor, it is my duty to preserve life. You are not alone in that body of yours. So long as any one of you desires life, it is my duty to uphold that wish and I intend to do so. Zander's desire for life is quite strong. It is you who hasn't the right to decide his fate."

"Amen ta that!" Zander cackled in gleeful agreement.

Lakotashay snarled, shoving him down. "Fuck you!"

Beast wasn't finished. "Besides, I distinctly remember you giving a promise to your former Master that you would allow us to care for you. Are you now saying you're backing out on that?" Henry tossed out for good measure, using anything he could think of to persuade this shattered Siskan to see reason. It was creepy to hear the fractured pilot speak like this. More and more, Beast was becoming convinced Kimble's fracturing was real. With every conversation he overheard, his doubt became less and less. Kimble was in real trouble. At least Gambit was here to help him now.

"Kimble done that, not me! You ain't gots no idear whatcha done!" she snarled, spitting in her rage. She couldn't fight his logic so she just bawled out, "You jus' don' get it! This life just ain't worth it! Not none of it! Everyone hates us! Nobody's ever done right by us 'cept Father and he's dead! I hates livin'! I hates all of you! I hate you! I hate you!" she bawled, the tears beginning to stream from her eyes.

At that moment, so confronted with Kimble's hurt and rage, Remy was thankful for the gift he'd been at Trishnar's. He knew this was coming and so was braced against it. It cut him, but not so deeply that he would let it show. He couldn't afford to show this one any weakness. Of all of Kimble's fractured selves, Lakotashay would prove to be his worst adversary. All the Jaels and Magnetos of the world be damned, defeating her might be the hardest battle he would ever fight. "Je suis de'sole, chere. Gambit knows life been real hard fo' you. But you home now, we goan' take care of you, just like I promised."

"Fuck you!" she bawled again. She backed away, her hands balled in white knuckled fists of rage. "You don't fuckin' know nuthin'! I'll hurt you, I swears it! You come nears us an' I'll rip yer fuckin' face off! I'll hurt you fer not givin' me what I wants!"

"**_We done the baddest things!"_** Lin cried suddenly in his hysterical Siskan, bursting out and shoving 'Shay aside. He snatched for the blanket, fumbling with it in his haste to cover himself. **_"We's bad! We's bad and we kills! Gots ta stay in the small spaces! It's too big out here! We kills an' kills an' kills!"_**

"None of us are dead," Henry replied gently after Remy thoughtfully translated. Henry was doing better with his Siskan every day but was happy for the assist nonetheless. He braved 'Shay's rage and dared to come close enough to give Lin a hand with the blanket, helping him to form his trademark shroud. Beast was happy to help -- with Kimble's body restored, it didn't matter now if Lin covered himself. Whatever made him happy.

Lin calmed only when he had been covered completely. Only his tiny face and hands could be seen as he replied, **_"Not yet. Not yet, but yer all sufferin' cause a us! We kills an' we hurts people. We done it before and we'll dos it again. If we wuz dead you could all just go on, but now we're back here an' yer all sufferin' again. You said you could fix us, stops us from hurtin' peoples, but it's a lie. 'Shay said so! She said she's gonna hurts somebody and she means it! You gots ta let us die 'fore she does sumpthin' bad!"_** he insisted, sounding so small and fragile as he spoke his words of doom.

"I don' t'ink so, petit," Gambit said, speaking Henry's mind. " 'Shay de one full of secrets and lies. Gambit ain't gonna let 'er pain kill of de rest of you. We goan' work dis out, you'll see."

"You tell her what for!" Zander happily cackled. "Show her who's boss!"

Remy cocked his head with a wry smile. He never would have imagined the angry Punisher as his ally, but he kept popping up on his side time and time again. He would need the help, it seemed Kimble was at war with himself, all of his fractured selves bickering and unable to reconcile themselves.

"It ain't up ta you!" 'Shay shouted and gave off a telekinetic pulse, happy now to have their additional powers restored. She was going to have her say and was pissed Lin was here and getting in the way, even if he did support her. She pushed the two X-men back until they stood outside of the door of the cell and refused to let them enter, using her telekinesis to keep them out in an odd reversal of roles. "Ya think yer so smart, ya stupid Cajun piece of shit! I'll fix you! I'm the strongest! You ain't never seein' Kimble again! If I cain't gits what I wants, you cain't have what you wants neither! I'll bury him so deep you'll be sorry ya ever done this!"

"Nice try, darlin'," Zander said next with a laugh, his voice wrapping around hers with a creepy duality. The shield she had used to push them back fizzled out -- Zander had cut off her power, leaving her defenseless as he had back at Cameron's training camp. "You don't gits nuthin' without my sayin' so. The power's mine an' I kin shuts it off anatime I feels like it!"

Remy laughed, happy to hear that. "You 'ear dat, chere? It look like Gambit's gonna win dis game. He got some friends helpin' 'im out, n'est ce pas?"

"**_You don' know what yer sayin'!"_** Lin wailed. **_"How many more gots ta die 'fore ya listens ta me!" _**

Gambit reactivated the door screen, satisfied now that things would go his way in spite of what Lin had to say about it. It was time to go. He spoke again to cement his position, "Dere ain't gonna be no more dyin', no more killin'. Jus' you wait 'n see. Gambit's got a plan, y'all. You just gotta wait a little while, den alla dis is gonna get a whole lot better."

"**_No...no. That's impossible!"_** Lin sobbed. **_"It's jus' another trick ta hurts us!" _**

"Gambit wouldn't ever hurt you dat way, petite. You jus' gotta give me some time, d'accorde?"

"**_I cain't b'lieves ya, I just cain't. We's been too bad. We's always been bad."_** Lin turned away, covering the rest of his face. He scootched up, back and into a corner, back in the small spaces where it was safe. He balled up and continued to cry.

"Dem two are pretty stubborn, non?" Remy said to Beast, still smiling. Even though nothing had been resolved here, he couldn't help but still be happy. Kimble's body was healed and in a couple of weeks, if he was lucky, his mind might be, too. All he had to do was hang in there until then.

"Yes, they most certainly are," Henry agreed. "Though perhaps they'll see the light when they find they don't get their way. Now, tell me. What's this plan of yours?"

Gambit smiled at him and began to explain. This was the first time he had spoken of the Games Master since his return – there had been no time -- and was pleased that Beast was very encouraged by the idea. The idea was simple, fly out to Yosemite and find the Games Master. How hard could that be?

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"You gonna tell us why you were gone fer so long, Gumbo?"

Remy glanced up from his thoughts, startled. He had left Kimble to his fractured selves for the night and had come up to the kitchen looking for some real food. He was in luck, Karen had cooked up some steaks for her and Logan and the Professor had joined them. Lucky for the thief there was plenty extra for him to scrounge. He had eaten well and was now a bit drowsy and thoughtful. He'd zoned out just a little bit, thinking of Kimble as he toyed with the necklace he now wore around his neck. It was the one Trishnar had given him to show the Games Master, the dangling charm an exact replica of Kimble's large tattoo.

"I was upset about my father, but dat's not de only reason. I went to look for Babette," Gambit answered to Wolverine's question, his fingers still on the necklace. It wouldn't leave his sight until it had fulfilled its sacred duty. He was encouraged to speak about his adventures in New Orleans by Henry's positive response to his plan and was happy to share it again with his teammates. He had an idea he would need some help along the trip anyhow.

"Who's Babette?" the Professor wanted to know.

"She de one I tol' you about at Christmas. De other Siskan. I t'ought mebbe if I could find 'er again, she could 'elp me wit Kimble."

He gave them a brief run down of his mini-vacation at Trishnar's house, leaving out the juicy parts. He explained what he'd learned about the Game and the Games Master, but his own fun and games with the Siskans he kept to himself. He went on to instruct them on what he had learned about the Siskans there and how he saw they needed to be loved and frequently used to be truly happy. What he had observed there only justified the things he had been trying to say back in the beginning as an explanation for Kimble's misery. The lessons taught to him by Aiden and the others there reinforced what he'd already believed. He would no longer be afraid to openly express his love and affection for his pilot friend and he didn't care what anyone thought about it.

He told them about Aiden and how he'd been broken. The Games Master had fixed him, or at least made him as well as he was ever going to be. Aiden was still clearly haunted by the horrors of his breaking, but had achieved some level of happiness, mainly because he was being used and loved. He wasn't left alone.

Best of all, Remy now had his plan -- in March he was going up to Yosemite to find the Games Master. He would bring Kimble with him or arrange some kind of transport for the Games Master to come here if that couldn't be done. Kimble would be fixed if he had to camp out the whole month, he could care less. Gambit got the response he wanted from this group, the Professor offered him the use of one of his Blackbirds, Fallen had already installed one of her cloaking devices in it and it was working beautifully. A small team would go, a group powerful enough to protect Remy in case there was trouble. Gambit nodded, grateful for the support. March couldn't come soon enough for him, it was only two weeks away.

Logan listened silently, knowing Remy wasn't saying everything. He knew Gambit must have romped like crazy with Trishnar's Siskans, but he could have cared less. He could see that it had been good for him, whatever had happened there. Gambit's eyes were glowing with renewed excitement and he didn't have that hopelessness that had been haunting him before Kimble's return. Gambit worked better with a real plan and now he had one.

"So this Games Master is going to fix Kimble just like that?" Karen asked, a tone of disbelief making her voice a little sharp. Unlike the others, she knew things just couldn't be that simple. Maybe Kimble was only a machine, but he was sentient enough for her to doubt any kind of quick fix.

Remy looked at her, trying to figure out where she was going with this. "Dat's what Trishnar say. Said de Games Master know de codes. Gonna fix Kimble dat way."

"And what if you don't find him?"

Gambit just shrugged. "One problem at a time, chere."

"I suggest you let me try working with him, just for the meantime," she offered. It was a big deal, Kimble's problems were quite severe. She wasn't a fully fleshed psychologist, not just yet. She had the schooling, but not the experience. She was getting better every day -- she was working with Molly and now some of the other troubled kids here at the school. She was loving it, too, relating with these kids who struggled to fit into this world with their various mutations. Kimble wasn't much different then them in many respects. Kimble was certainly a challenge, but at the same time she doubted she could make him any worse, he was a complete mess.

"I dunno, Karen," Logan growled. Truth be told, he didn't want her anywhere near the guy. "Kimble's dangerous."

She let Wolverine's remark slip by unnoted, knowing he was just being protective. It was Gambit's approval she needed, not his. She looked at Remy, considering him to be Kimble's primary guardian now. "How about it?"

Remy paused before answering. The tension that passed between the pair hadn't escaped his notice. It amused him, Karen wasn't a pushover and he liked that. She would need it if she actually tried to do this thing. "Didn't t'ink 'Shay liked you much. 'Eard she was kinda mean to you."

"She's defending her right to control the body. She's afraid to let the others out. The best way to help Kimble is to try and get the personalities to reintegrate themselves. Perhaps by showing her that she's got reasons to live for, that she has value. It might be enough to get her to back off from the others. At the very least, I could try to get them all to make peace with one another."

"You t'ink you can do dat?"

"I would very much like to try."

Gambit smiled, he liked what he saw in her shine, her self confidence and genuine desire to help. They just might be enough. "I don' 'ave no problem wit it, chere. Kimble need all de 'elp 'e can get right now."

"How do ya know this Trishnar guy was fer real?" Logan tossed out, distrustful. "He said Kimble got his Mark as part of the game, but Fallen's the one that put it on him."

Gambit shrugged. "P'etetre, she put dere what she see. P'etetre, it was 'is destiny, Gambit doesn't know. What I do know is I seen de 'appiest bunch of Siskans dere ever was. Dey all got de Marks like Kimble does. Gambit knows now what Kimble suppose' ta be. Gonna do whatever it takes ta make 'im dat way. After dat 'e don' give a shit."

"You have to give a shit, Remy," Karen interjected. "Like or not you have a close relationship with Kimble, one that anyone with a pair of eyes can see. You said yourself that a Siskan needs to be used frequently to be happy, but yet you know he cannot leave the grounds. If you're considering doing the honors yourself, you could be setting yourself for some real trouble, " Karen boldly cautioned, making Remy choke a little on his beer. Like Logan, she hadn't been fooled by what Remy left out about his stay at Trishnar's. Something in his eyes when he spoke of those Siskans, he'd done far more than merely speak with them, she knew it.

"Now you gettin' a little personal, chere," Remy protested, wiping his chin. He hadn't been prepared for her sharp mind seeing right through him. She was right of course, he just wasn't comfortable with her saying such things out loud. Not that he had anything to fear from this group, but that wasn't the point.

Karen wasn't put off by his protest or the least bit apologetic, what she had to say was too important. "Whatever you decide, you think about this. He's a mess and not even close to stable. Kimble starting any kind of physical relationship with you or with anyone else right now would be a mistake. Not in the shape he's in. You start it in some kind of noble attempt to heal him and then back off, he won't survive it."

Remy wouldn't look at her. She had a good point of course, but he wasn't sure he entirely agreed. He picked at the label on his beer bottle and considered his response. "Gambit seen what a 'appy Siskan is, seen what even a shattered Siskan can become if 'e loved enough. Dis what I want for Kimble. He my brother, de closest t'ing I ever 'ad to a real friend. Whatever it takes, Gambit's gonna do it. 'E would do dis for me."

"My only suggestion to you is to wait, to be sure about Kimble before you do something you regret. Some things you can't take back."

"I would take Karen's advice," the Professor agreed. "I still don't understand what it is between you two. You haven't been very forthcoming about the files you shared and why you've taken to Kimble so personally. I'm not disappointed to see it..." the Professor was quick to say when he saw a small flash of defensive anger behind Remy's eyes. "...you've needed a good friend here for a long time. I know you've broken things off with Rogue and you and Storm are not close like you once were. But you should be treading very carefully here. Relationships with mentally ill people are not easy or painless for either party. You have both your hearts to consider. All I ask is that you think about what you're doing if you take this to the next level."

"Why all of you t'inkin' dis way, eh? All I said was dat I was gonna take care of 'im. Why does dat mean me an' Kimble gonna be more dan friends?" Gambit snapped. He felt cornered.

"It's the look in your eyes when Kimble is happy," Karen said. "Anyone who's ever been in love know what it means."

"I am not in love wit Kimble!" he insisted just a little too emphatically, knowing it was a blatant lie even as he said it. Admitting it to himself was one thing, but saying it out loud to a group of his peers was something else all together. He was very uncomfortable with this and was quick to make his case. "What I feel is real strong, sumptin' I can't explain so I ain't even gonna try, but it ain't like dat. I'm gonna 'ave a wife. Gonna 'ave some kids. Dis what Anya say. Dis all Gambit wants. Gambit's made 'is choice an' told de Kimble so. Kimble knows. Don' even 'ave to say it, an' Kimble knows," he finished softly, lowering his tone. "Dat's 'ow close we are."

"And you're going to balance all of that how exactly?" Karen couldn't help but ask. She couldn't swallow Remy's utopian idea, that he could carry a wife and Kimble both. She'd read and heard enough about Remy's promiscuity to know the wife would be a handful for him enough on her own without adding a potential Siskan lover into the mix.

"Gambit will find a way," Remy said with some finality. He really didn't want to discuss it and it showed.

Karen was sympathetic to his discomfort enough that she was willing to back down -- for now. "Just be careful, all right?"

He grinned at her playfully, his eyes a little bitter and hard. "Gambit always careful, don' you know? He always lookin' out after his'self. Dat's what 'e do best." He rose and skillfully tossed his bottle into the recycle bin. "Night, y'all," he said as he walked out, all done with this conversation.

"Oh, yeah. That's trouble walkin' on two feet," Logan grumbled unhappily, leaning back in his chair.

"He's had a rough time. Let's just give him some space," the Professor advised. "Keep an eye on him, Logan, but don't box him in. If he takes off, he'll take Kimble with him and that I cannot allow to happen."

"No problem. Did ya tell him about Creed's little package?"

"No, not yet. Tomorrow when he's settled in."

Kimble's dear Kristalay had done more than simply dismiss Kimble as his slave and possession. Two days after he was taken away, a package came in the mail. It was a set of papers and bank account slips, everything tidy and very much legal and binding. Kristalay had left Kimble a startling fifty million dollars in hidden off shore accounts, money that he had squirreled away over the years and now no longer had any need for. He also left Kimble the deed to the cabin up in Maine. He had kept on the maid there, paying her for a year's caretaking in advance. He named Xavier as Kimble's executor, knowing the man could be trusted to manage Kimble's affairs.

The team had been stunned, everyone but Seth. He hadn't said a word, but knew all too well the bonding that could occur between the Siskan and his Master. It mirrored his own life. Fallen was his Mistress and he would never leaver her. He just hoped his brother would recover enough to enjoy his new found wealth.

What Kristalay had done was give Kimble some amount of independence. He was no longer dependant on anyone for his room and board, he certainly would never have to actually work another day in his life unless he chose to. Kristalay had done this a weeks before the Rally, but had left the papers with a trusted friend, asking that they be sent off should anything happen to him. They had been faithfully delivered and Kimble was as good as free, if he could ever sort out his emotional troubles. It was a princely gift and only something a man truly devoted would do. Kristalay's trust in Charles was well placed, the Professor was more than happy to see to Kimble's affairs.


	2. Chapter 2

(Two)

Remy went upstairs, looking for Molly. It was getting late but he knew she was a nightowl like he was and would probably be up. He had checked the gym and the common room where she usually watched television but she wasn't there. He found her room and was surprised to see the door ajar, but she wasn't there, either. Perplexed and a little tired himself, he decided to go up to the widow's peak, get some air, and just go to bed. He would look for Molly tomorrow.

He made his way up the stairs to the widow's peak, stopping to grab his coat and gloves on the way up. He dressed quickly and grabbed a pack of smokes for good measure. He stood now just in front of the door to the widow's peak. He was about to go outside when he was halted by his internal friend.

**_/ Wait a moment. Molly's there. I can feel her, can't you? _**Shi'ow-ri whispered. Remy startled a little, this voice was much stronger now --- boosted from Aiden's rush of power no doubt. It was the same when he'd been with Babette. Her strength was growing as was her intuition.**_ / She's there and she's upset. /_**

'_Course she's upset. Sabretooth killed her sister and she just saw 'im again. She scared._

_**/ She's not scared, she's angry. Angry at you. /**_

_Me? What I done now?_

_**/ Go ask her and find out. /**_

Gambit carefully eased the door open and stepped out onto the widow's peak, every nerve jingling. He wasn't going to catch a break today, it seemed. He saw Molly there crouched in a corner and sniffing softly. She was bundled up in a coat and blanket and had clearly been out here for some time. She'd been crying and her shine was dark and cloudy. She was upset, hurt and angry.

"Bonjour, chere," he greeted softly. "What you doin' up 'ere?"

She didn't answer but looked up at him, her eyes hard.

Remy walked over, his stride slow and even in spite of his hammering heart. Lord have mercy, she looked so angry. She was so beautiful to him, sitting there. He hadn't realized just how much he'd missed her until now. Her suffering filled him with pain and he tried to keep his voice steady as he automatically began to apologize without really knowing what for. "I know Gambit was bad about not checkin' 'is phone. 'E got hung up somewhere fo' a few days. Je suis de'sole, fille. Gambit wasn't blowin' you off. Not on purpose."

Molly didn't respond to his words, not even when he came close and sat down in front of her. He could see now that she had a half empty bottle of Jack Daniels in between her legs and had a pretty good idea where she'd gotten it from. She had never been in his room before, but he never locked the door. It wouldn't be hard for her to find it, it would be the room that looked like no one lived in it. Although the framed pictures of Kimble's poor fractured selves might have been a giveaway.

"You okay, chere? You 'ave another nightmare?" he asked a little more quietly.

She raised her hands and began to speak, knowing he would be able to see even in the poor light. **_When Mason died, I was afraid. When I'm afraid, I get violent, crazy. The police didn't know what to do with me so they tied me up and brought me to a SHIELD detention center for mutants. They weren't gentle and I stayed angry and crazy. While I was there, all tied up and strapped down to a bed, these two guys were brought into the cells across from me. They were being brought from one place to another. They weren't going to stay, they were there to wait. This happened all the time._**

She paused and took another hit from the bottle. She was getting better at this, she didn't even flinch as she swallowed it down. **_What was different was Tommy Jenkins came over to talk to me._**

" 'E dat guard you said you 'ad a crush on," Remy said, unable to keep a small smile from teasing his lips.

Molly was feeling neither playful nor humorous. Her hands were stiff with anger as she continued to sign, **_He was the only one there who was nice to me. The one thing he did for me, the most important thing, was to say this little speech to me. He looked at those guys and said to me, "You see them two? That's Mayhem and Wipeout. Two of the worst guys you ever could meet."_**

Remy's whole body just froze. He couldn't even breathe. No...not this. Not this. Not right now. He dropped his eyes and reached into his pocket, automatically grabbing for his cigarettes. He had made some honest attempts to quit lately but shit like this just kept getting in his way. He would never escape his past, his responsibilities. He had done much to calm his mind in New Orleans but this one thing, this terrible crime he had committed, it would always unnerve him to hear it spoken of. It might be like that his whole life. He shook a cigarette out of the pack and brought it to his lips, unable to hide his trembling fingers. He knew she could see as well in the dark as he did and that she was waiting for him to finish so he would look at her. He popped a spark from his fingers to light the cigarette, praying she couldn't see the wetness of his eyes. He took a long deep drag and looked at her again.

_**You know who I'm talking about, don't you?**_

Remy was quiet, considering his answer. Shi'ow-ri didn't let him wait long.**_ / If you love her, tell her the truth. Don't you dare lie. Don't make the same mistake you did with Rogue. /_**

"Oui, chere. Gambit knows," he whispered to the girl in front of him.

Mayhem and Wipeout were two of the Marauders that had followed him down into the tunnels on that horrible day when he became damned for all time. He could still see their dark, serious faces in his mind's eye, these men had frightened him as badly as Sabretooth had. Somehow Molly had found out about his role in the Massacre and he had an idea who it was that had told her. He didn't know what was stronger, his fear that Molly would reject and hate him like half the people here, or his anger towards the one person who would dare to use this against him.

Molly continued, **_Tommy said to me. "You're young and I'm guessing maybe you're just scared and unsure about what's going to happen to you. You'd best calm down, girl. Just take a nice deep breath. If you let your anger get to you...if you let it take you over...you just might end up like those two losers over there." Tommy spent the next ten minutes telling me what they'd done._**

_**I remember thinking at the time, "Who would do such a thing?" I mean, it just wasn't possible that someone could be that evil and yet look so human. Only monsters were capable of that kind of evil, not ordinary men who could so easily be your friend and talk to you like nothing had ever happened. I know now what kind of man can do such a thing. I found out three days after you left.**_

Molly stopped signing. She broke down into more soft sobs, tears streaming down her face.

Remy couldn't speak. He was shaking so hard he could hardly keep the cigarette in his hand. He didn't know what to do. Should he break down and cry or just harden up and walk away? He could do both right now so easily. Her shine was so dark and angry. **_/ I hate you for doing that. How can you be my friend and be that man at the same time?_** it was asking.

His internal response was turbulent. He was furious -- _Why do I 'ave to keep defending myself over dis time and time again? I was a kid den, I made a terrible, 'orrible mistake. Why can't I be judged for who I am now? For all de good I've done?_

He was fearful -- _She gonna 'ate dis boy for good now. She 'urt an' scared. She love me. She gonna do sumptin' stupid an' 'urt 'erself 'less I do sumptin' to make dis all right again._

He was filled with despair -- _Remy, you de worse kind of scum dere is. You was den, y' are now, an' you always will be. You gotta let 'er walk away b'fore you 'urt 'er any more dan you 'ave already._

He was in agony -- _God, I love dis girl. I love 'er as much as Kimble. What am I gonna do?_

_**/ Tell her the truth. /**_

Gambit took a deep breath and tried reaching out to touch Molly but she stopped his hand in between them, blocking him. **_Is it true? Did you do that horrible thing?_**

"Oui, chere," he replied in a whisper so soft, she hardly heard it in spite of her enhanced hearing.

_**Why?**_

"Give Gambit de bottle, chere, and 'e'll tell you."

_**I can drink if I want to,** _she signed defiantly, misunderstanding.

"Oui, Molly, you can drink. But it's Gambit dat needs de courage, not you."

She heard the quiet desperation in his voice and gave up custody of the whiskey. He took a big hit off the bottle and shifted, getting comfortable. He took another deep breath and told her everything. He explained some about his childhood and how he'd been exiled. He was living on the streets when Sinister found him and later took advantage of him. Remy felt more comfortable as he spoke, he could see the change in Molly's shine as she calmed down and simply listened to what he was trying to say. He explained that he wasn't trying to excuse himself, that he took all the blame for everything. He wasn't running away from it anymore. He was here with the X-men to try and make up for what he'd done. When he said that, he saw her shine change even more. It became brighter, happier. She was understanding him better now. It encouraged him, but there was enough doubt in her to tell him he wasn't going to get off too easily.

He was right. Molly wasn't done, she just moved down to the next item on her list. **_Why do you call all the girls 'share'?_**

Remy couldn't help but chuckle softly. He responded automatically, " 'Cause you all so beautiful, 'e want to share 'is love wit you, petite."

Molly scowled at him, still not joking around.

He sighed, lamenting her lack of humor, and answered, "Gambit grew up in a great big ol' 'ouse full of kids. Dere was so many of us, my poor Tante couldn't keep none of us straight so she always call us 'cher' or 'chere'. It French fo' 'dear', an endearment fo' someone you cherish or love. You get it said to you over an' over again fo' eight years, it kinda get stuck in yo 'ead, bien? Dat's why Gambit say 'chere'. Why you askin'?"

_**Rogue said you use that word because you run with so many girls at once it's easier to call them that than to try and remember their names.**_

"Well, it ain't true. Just spend some time down in N'awlins wit me, you'll see all de LeBeaus use dat word, same as me. It's just de way we was brought up, just like all de other French words we use. None of us really speak French in full. De Cajun, it like two languagesall smashed up together. Guess we all kinda like de sound of it so we never learned no English proper, hien?"

_**I'll bet,** _Molly signed, unable to hide the sarcasm in the soft grunt that came with it. She wasn't quite finished. **_What about all the girls you know? Rogue said that everywhere you go the girls all know you. She said all the whores in Salem Center know you by name._**

Remy's anger surged. Was there no end to Rogue's treachery? Good lord, just how much did she say? How far was she willing to go to kill his friendship with this girl?

**_/ Rogue must want you bad/_** Shi'ow-ri snickered.

That statement gave him pause. Was that what she was doing this for? How did she think he would ever forgive her for it?

_**/ You took her back every time she ever spanked you with who you are. Why should she think this time would be any different?**_

_Because my love for Molly is real. It ain't no crush, no conquest forgotten in a day. Molly mean de worl' to me._

_**/ Then prove it. Prove it right now. /**_

Remy sniffed and smiled slightly, he couldn't help it. "You know Gambit a playful guy. He like to fool around, have fun. Gambit learn quick on de streets dat de ladies of de night, well, dey a lot like 'im. Most of dem come from real bad 'omes, some of dem molested by deir fathers, deir brothers. No girl ever ask to be a whore, dey do it 'cause dey ain't got nuthin' else, just like some of us turn into t'ieves. We all in pain and de best way to kill dat pain is to 'ave fun. We drink, we play, we joke around. Gambit wasn't wit no steady girl, if one of de filles want to do more dan just dance, Gambit's always willin', always careful. Knows how to use a condom. Now I'm sure dat rascal Rogue was quick to tell you 'bout all de girls Gambit knows, but did she tell you 'ow Gambit was always fait'ful to 'er when we was datin'?"

_**No. She said you were always running around.**_

"Gambit run around when she say we was quits. She'd do dat every coupla months or so. We'd 'ave some big ol' fight an' she'd boot Gambit out on 'is ass. Soon as Gambit was free, sure, he run around. Gambit chase de firs' girl dat didn't t'row stuff at him or say, ' 'Ey you miserable t'ief, what you lie about dis day, hien?' "

_**So you never cheated on her?**_

"Non. Not de way she mean. Not when we was together. Soon as she took him back, Gambit kept 'is paws off. 'E stay at 'ome, leave de whores in town. He cook for 'is girl, take 'er dancin', keep it fun. She tell you dat when me and Logan an' 'Enry got carted off to Cerise by dem Dognan assholes dat Gambit never touch another girl out dere? 'E could 'ave. No one would be de wiser — 'cept me. Gambit wouldn't do it because 'e would know and dat was just as bad, comprenez?"

_**Rogue never said anything about that**._

"Bien entendu. 'Course not. Just like she didn't say dat when Gambit come back he find out she be doin' de Mississippi Two Step wit some other guy she met when 'e was gone."

It was Molly's turn to be quiet.

"Gambit ain't tellin' you dese t'ings 'cause 'e wanna get into some kinda 'he said, she said' t'ing wit you. He tellin' you dis 'cause 'e care about you. You an' me, we ain't datin'. I don't have to justify what I do wit my social life to you, but I am 'cause you sittin' 'ere all full of tears. It just rips dis poor boy's 'eart to shreds, chere. Dat's de God's honest truth, fille. It really is."

He reached out to her again and she blocked him, but this time she took his hand. She placed it on her knee, the furthest she was going to allow.

_**Where did you go in New Orleans? Why didn't you answer my calls?**_

"Gambit got angry, smashed up his phone when m' Kimble wouldn't talk to me. I took off for a few days, looking for a friend of mine."

_**A girl?**_

_Christ!_ Remy snarled inside, his anger surging again.

**_/ Easy, killer/ _**Shi'ow-ri said with a soft snicker. **_/ Just answer her. You're doing good. Don't stop now, she's listening to you. /_**

Gambit relented. "Oui. Her name Babette. She a Siskan like Kimble only not all broken. She took me to see 'er Master and 'e told me a lot about de Siskans. 'E told me how to fix my Kimble."

_**I remember you talking about Babette at the meeting when you came back from New Orleans the first time. You said you were going back there to look for her. You're back but Kimble's not fixed. **_

"Non. Gambit 'as to wait fo' de Games Master. He's some Dognan guy just like Jael, 'e ain't from around 'ere. 'E gonna come visit Earth next month. I gotta go campin' out where he stays, wait for 'im to come so I can ask 'im to fix Kimble."

**_You were gone a long time._**

"Gambit 'ad a lot to learn."

_**This Trishnar guy have a lot of Siskans?**_

"Oui. 'E 'ave six."

_**They all girls?**_

"Five of dem, oui."

_**Siskans love their Master. They're like lovers, right? Like Seth and Fallen.**_

Gambit could see where this was going. "Dat's right."

_**Did he share them with you?**_

He cringed, he couldn't help it.

_**/ Don't you dare lie. /**_

_Why I gotta justify my sex life, Shi'ow-ri? Dis girl ain't my lover!_

_**/ She will be. Shut up and answer her. /**_

_She ain't gonna be my lover._ _She just a little kid._

_**/ She won't be anything to you if you keep stalling. Now answer the fucking question, you moron!**_

"Oui, Trishnar share dem wit me."

_**They were your lovers.**_

"Oui."

**_Is Kimble your lover?_**

"Non. We never got dat far."

_**Are you going to?**_

Remy startled a little. That one he hadn't expected from her. "I don't know," he replied honestly. He was tired now. Tired of this, tired of trying to answer this same question over and over again. Once more he opted for complete truth and said, " 'E wants me to be, or 'e did b'fore 'e got so smashed. Someone tol' me dat it would 'elp 'im, but Gambit ain't so sure. Ain't gonna decide nuthin' just yet."

Molly sniffed and rubbed her cheeks. She was done crying, but her face was still a little wet. She was trying to digest everything he'd told her, it was a lot. **_I have to think about what you've said._**

Remy nodded. His hand was still on her knee, she hadn't tossed it off. He could see she wasn't angry anymore, just tired like he was. "Gambit ain't goin' nowhere. Not for a couple of weeks. You take yo' time, he'll be around any time you want 'im. You just say de word."

**_Okay. Thanks. _**She got up to leave, but he took her hand as she passed him.

"Just one t'ing, chere, 'fore you go. 'Enry tell me y'all 'ad a visitor while Gambit was gone. 'E say you saw de Lion Man."

Molly shivered and made a soft wheeze, her version of a whimper.

"C'est bien. Gambit just need to know if you all right."

She crouched back down in front of him, seeking something from him. **_I'm okay._ _Thanks for asking. It's nice to know you care._**

"Gambit's always gonna care, fille. You sure it was him?"

_**Yes.**_

"You tried to call me an' I wasn't dere fo' you. Je suis de'sole, mon ador'ee. Dere ain't nuthin' Gambit can say."

_**It's okay.**_

"Non. It ain't. It ain't never gonna 'appen again, comprenez?"

**_Rogue said the Lion Man is the one that cut you, _**Molly said, laying her hand on his chest just as Kimble and Aiden had. The parallel wasn't lost on him, his being touched so similarly by those whom he loved. He still wasn't so sure he deserved any of it, this love that seemed to follow him whereever he went these days.

"Dat's right. He mark me fo' de t'ievin' piece of Cajun trash I am," he replied, a surge of bitterness and anger making him speak sharply.

_**Then the Lion Man marked us both as trash.**_

"You ain't no trash, chere," Gambit insisted, tugging on her. "Don't you ever t'ink dat. P'etetre, all he done is mark us official "Lion Man Rejects Club" members. See? Even Kimble got a mark. It just real deep on de inside where it ain't so obvious. We a team, de t'ree of us, d'accorde?"

Molly couldn't help but smile, she liked the sound of that. **_Maybe._**

Gambit shivered and almost lost control when she next leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead. She could have given him no greater gift, this affirmation her love and the forgiveness that would surely follow. She grunted goodnight at him and walked away, all the darkness gone from her shine. She would think about what he'd said, and yes, she would forgive him. The moment she was gone the tears burst from his eyes and he was shaking worse than a Crack addict without a fix.

Remy was real good at putting up a front as a tough guy no one could ever touch, the cocky little scoundrel that all the girls drooled over. But that's all it was, a front. Deep inside he was still that orphaned little boy, a tiny mutant reject that was never quite good enough no matter what he did. He was insecure and driven by reckless, wild emotions. They swamped him now, drowning him. _All I ever wanted was fo' someone to just love me fo' me. Why dat so 'ard, eh? Why?_ _Everybody make mistakes, why mine always gotta be worse dan everyone else's?_

**_/ Easy now. It's over./_ **Shi'ow-ri tried to soothe. **_/ You did what you had to do and it's okay now. It's better, really. You unloaded all this junk early, now Molly can see you for who you are. It upset her, but you know what? Maybe she'll love you that much more for it. When she's older, when she's ready for you, she'll know all this already. No secrets can come between you. /_**

Remy was listening, but he was still upset. His grief turned to frustration and next to furious outrage. _Sure, Gambit will let it go. After 'e finish one last piece of business._

He got up and dropped off the side of the house.

---------------------------------

Rogue jerked awake in her bed when she felt the weight of a body sink down on top of her and a pair of gloved hands come to her throat, choking off her air. She was invulnerable, she even knew how to fly. She was one of the most physically powerful mutants in this house, but before she could even try to defend herself, she was blasted with a vibration of intense hurt and rage. The emotions were so powerful they paralyzed her with terror and left her unable to act, to even move. She knew instantly who it was who was here in her room. "Remy...!" she gasped, hardly able to breathe.

Gambit hadn't been quite prepared for just how powerful his emotions were, but now that they were loose, he had no desire to restrain them. He knew he was hurting her, Aiden's own rage had been painful and it hadn't been flung at him with as much fury as he was using against Rogue now. The Kundatesh was powerful and as much as it could be used for pleasure, it could also be used as a weapon. He was wielding it now.

When Remy began to speak it was in two voices. One came from the vibration of his fury and it came to Rogue first.**_ / 'Ow dare you try and turn Molly against me! 'Ow dare you make 'er cry! I 'ate you! I'll 'ate you for dis forever!_**

His own whiskey and cinnamon voice leaked around it, thick with rage. "You remember when Gambit took you down to New Orleans? He tell you all about de town when we was dere, hien? How dere's two Guilds dere, workin' side by side?"

Shi'ow-ri's voice came at her again, speaking Gambit's words, **_/ Listen up, bitch. Dis time I mean business and you best be payin' real good attention. You brought dis on y'self, playing yo' stupid games. You baked dis cake, now you gonna eat every slice, chere. 'Ope you enjoy it. / _**

"You have a good ol' time tellin' Molly 'ow Gambit like de whores? C'est bien. Dat's all right. It's true and Gambit told 'er so. De best whores? Dey come from de Assassins Guild. Met a real talented one named Nancy. She got a real busy mouth, oui. When she wasn't too busy usin' it to go down on me ten times better dan a bon a' rien, morceau de merde, putain like you ever will, she was runnin' off wit it, tellin' me all 'er secrets. Guess she trusted me. Imagine dat."

Rogue trembled helplessly in his grasp, unable to speak. He was sitting next to her, pinning her down with his upper body draped over her, his elbows on her chest. His weight on her was heavy and she couldn't breathe from his fierce grip on her throat. He had snuck silently into her room through the window, amazing her that she never heard it. He would have had to climb down from the roof and then open a window from the outside that she had locked closed. It told her many things. _He's a true thief, a criminal on a real level and he's living here in our house. He could have done this at any time but he never has until now._

Remy's two voices came at her again, one wrapping around the other until they came at her in unison with a message so clear it could never be mistaken for anything else.

**_/ I wasted four years of m' life on you, you stinkin' little cunt! _**/

"Now, you might be invulnerable..."

_**/ You can't trust me? Mebbe it's you dat can't be trusted!**_

"...but dat don't mean Gambit can't get to you one way or de other, chere."

_**/ I gave you everyt'ing and you still toss me aside, demandin' more! My best wasn't good enough for you, it never would be, but you still wouldn't let Gambit go. /**_

"You wanna play yo' stupid bullshit games wit Gambit, dat's fine. I'll go toe to toe wit you, fille, and come up winnin', aces high every time."

_**/ I told you I loved you, fille. You left me to die and still I came crawlin' back to you, only to get another plateful of yo' pathetic, twisted mind games. /**_

"But you even t'ink about fuckin' around wit Molly — **_/ My girl/ _**— again? **_/ I will kill you. / _**I will kill you, je promets." He leaned in real close, his lips to her ear. "You 'earin' me...Sugah?"

She nodded quickly, her eyes wide with terror. She knew he meant it, that he was capable of it. She recalled all those times he'd come to her in a fight, when they were working. No matter what she said to Molly about him being unreliable and untrustworthy, he'd always been there for her. He always managed to situate himself close to her just so he could watch her back without being pigheaded about it. Every time he thought she'd been hurt, something dark and twisted crossed his face. Call it fear, an intense drive to protect and keep her safe. On one the hand it had angered her, she was fiercely independent, always would be. She vowed never to rely on a man to save her from anything. On the other hand, it revealed just how much he loved her. He would fling himself at her enemies, holding nothing back in his desire to punish anyone who had ever caused her pain. Now the role was reversed. He was here on behalf of Molly, threatening her with the same intensity he'd once given to her own enemies. It chilled her down to the bone, sending a bright lance of pain right through her heart.

"Bien. Night, y'all."

He released her and just like that he was gone, out through the window like a ghost. She bolted upright, unable to stop a twisted scream of horror and pain that ripped from her throat. A moment later, Jean was next to her and Wolverine not a second behind. Scott was a tall shadow in the hallway. Jean's arms came around her, promising safety and security. "What's wrong, Rogue? You okay?"

Rogue sobbed, too distraught to answer.

Logan paced to the window and stood there, silent. He had his own senses, a voice that spoke to him, too. He didn't give it a name as Gambit had, but it spoke to him just the same. This room was filled with smells only he could detect in spite of the window still being open. He could smell Gambit strongly here and the message he'd brought with him.**_ / I hate you! You hurt me! I hate you! Hurt you! Kill you! _**Gambit's scent wasn't the only one here. He'd only just left Molly and her smell was still all over him. It carried a message, too. **_/ I was upset, but I'm okay now. You made me feel better. /_**

Wolverine already knew this. He'd passed Molly coming down from the widow's peak only a few minutes before. She reeked of whiskey and Gambit's cigarettes, but her smell had said the same thing. **_/ I was upset, but I'm okay now. I'm tired and I just want to go to bed. Gambit was close to me, but he didn't fuck with me. You don't have to beat him to a bloody pulp, Mr. Logan. /_**

Wolverine knew that Molly had been upset the past few days, he just figured it was from seeing Sabretooth. Now he wasn't so sure. It was true he'd smelled Rogue on Molly the other day. It had caught his attention because these two rarely spoke to each other. If Gambit was this angry, maybe he had a good reason. Logan waited a moment and looked up at Rogue, meeting her with his eyes. "You have a bad dream?"

Rogue was a bit calmer now, warm with Jean's arms around her. She sniffed and wiped at her eyes. "Yeah. Silly, ain't it? How a girl can be invulnerable and still be frightened by a stupid ol' dream?"

Logan nodded and shut the window. Remy's scent was all over it and Logan couldn't help but be amazed. The window was in perfect condition as if it had been opened from the inside, but he knew better. He had no idea how Remy had opened it and wasn't quite sure he wanted to know. He did know by Rogue's response that something ugly had just passed between the two of them, but that it was over now. Gambit had come in here angry enough to kill her and had backed off, giving her a warning instead. Judging by the way Molly smelled, Rogue had wound her up and Gambit had calmed her down. That's what his instincts were telling him and they were often right.

Jean looked at Wolverine, perplexed. She knew something had passed between him and Rogue, some kind of understanding that she wasn't going to be allowed in on. She was a telepath but all of the X-men had rigorous training against mental intrusion and she certainly wasn't so crass as to violently invade their minds, especially when she clearly wasn't going to be invited.

Logan said nothing more, but grunted at them and walked out. He passed by Cyclops in the hallway without a word, but didn't head back to his own room. He didn't have a problem with Remy and Rogue fighting, Lord knows they did all the goddamned time, but there was no way he was going to let one X-man break into another's room, threatening murder, without having something to say about it. He made his way to Gambit's door and sniffed. He was there. Without knocking, he entered, not the least bit surprised to find Remy standing by another open window. He'd removed his coat and shirt and was tugging on his boots, a lit cigarette dangling from his lips. Gambit didn't even flinch at the intrusion, he merely smiled a bit more broadly as if he'd expected this visitor.

Wolverine walked right up to him and boldly backed him up against the wall, popping his claws on one hand and pinning Gambit back with the other on his throat. Logan spoke in a firm, clear voice. "I don't know what went on tonight an' I don't much care. But whatever it was, it ends now. You hearin' me?"

"Oui. Me and de chere, we clear now. Real clear."

"I hope so. Cuz if you ain't, I'll kick both of yer asses, understand? You touch her again, you won't walk away from it, I don't care how justified ya think ya are. More'n that you stay away from Molly. I won't have her caught up in whatever sick, twisted game the two of you are playin'!"

"Non."

"What was that?" Logan growled, coming closer.

Remy showed no sign of fear even though Wolverine was a hell of a lot closer than he would have liked. "You ain't keepin' me from Molly, patron. I wasn't de one invited 'er to play Rogue's game, I just made sure it don't 'appen again."

"I ain't the least bit interested in yer stupid excuses. Yer a sneak. Yer dangerous and ya can't be trusted."

"You really t'ink dat way, Wolvie? You wound me."

Logan's growl became louder. "You keep away from Molly. Not even two hours ago yer saying you might be taking Kimble on, now you got your sights on Molly? I don't think so pal. I won't see her hurt by yer two timin'. No way."

Remy fixed him with his eyes. "I ain't gonna two time 'er. Dat's a promise. If I choose 'er, it'll be her an no one else."

Logan continued to growl, "I don't believe you. Not for one red hot second, boy. You might have grown up some, but you ain't grown up enough, not by what I'm seein' tonight. You hurt Molly an' you ain't gonna walk away from it, that's a promise."

I ain't gonna 'urt 'er," Remy repeated firmly, not budging an inch.

They locked wills, not for the first time and certainly not the last.

**_/ I know a secret/_ **Shi'ow-ri whispered. **_/ Do you see it?_**

Remy squinted as Logan's shine clicked on and almost blinded him. He could see Logan's protection gears whirling again in hyper-drive. He could feel the vibration coming off of him .**_/ You stay away from Molly. You stay away from her, she's my... /_**

_What?_

_**/ She's my family. /**_

"What is Molly to you, Logan?" Remy said, his tone gentle.

Logan retreated slightly. "She's like Karen's daughter. She's like my daughter."

"Gambit's t'inkin'...p'etetre, she more dan dat."

"She's my niece."

The words were out of Logan's mouth before he had a chance to stop them. It wouldn't have mattered anyway. Gambit was going to find out, just like he had his dark secret. Remy had a new power, one spooky and irritating like every telepath he'd ever known. It made him that much more dangerous.

Gambit's mind was working quickly, chewing on what Wolverine had let slip. Shi'ow-ri was, too, speaking to him as always.**_ / And Victor Creed, the Lion Man, is her father. He's blonde, she's blonde. He has claws, she has claws. Everybody's always wondered about Logan and Creed, the way they always fight, the way they can heal. They aren't all that different from one another. Not a big reach for them to be brothers. You know Sabretooth almost as well as Logan does. He kills his kids. He killed Greydon and that's why he killed Molly's mother and sister. /_**

Shi'ow-ri's thoughts tumbled into his brain, making him dizzy. How could she possibly know all these things from a glance, from a vibration? Just how powerful was this gift that Kimble had given him? It had definitely been boosted from his time spent at Trishnar's. It seemed like Shi'ow-ri was talking louder and louder as each new day passed.

Remy swallowed. "Does she know?"

"Nope, and I'm keepin' it that way," Logan replied warily. He could see Gambit's brain working again, just like it had back at the stadium. He was being read and once more, Remy had just learned something. Damnit! It was like he was an open book.

The thief didn't even try to hide it. "Gambit won't say nuthin', but 'e won't stay away. Don't t'ink you gonna hold Molly back from me, anyway. She a tete dure, a stubborn girl, just like 'er dad."

Logan squinted in surprise and let his growl trickle forth again. The light from Remy's tiny lamp glinted off of his sharp metal claws. "How did ya know?"

" 'Cause you just told me."

"I didn't say anything!"

"Oui, Logan. You did. It's right dere in yo' eyes, in yo' shine."

"Well, you just keep quiet about it. Nobody knows 'cept Chuck, Henry and Karen. That's it."

"It ain't gonna be a secret fo' long, de way you telegraphin' it, but it ain't Gambit's secret to tell. 'E say nuthin', patron. 'E might be a sneak and a t'ief, but 'e knows when to keep 'is mouth shut."

Logan opted for compromise. "You keep Molly outta you an' Rogue."

Remy accepted. "Absolument, mon ami."

Logan backed up, releasing him and sheathing his claws. "If you an' me have ta have this conversation again ---"

"Oui, you gonna rip Gambit a new one. Gonna give 'im a haircut from de neck up. Gonna stick dem metal claws up 'is ass so far, it gonna look like 'e got braces. Bien entendu, Gambit understands."

Wolverine grunted in irritation, but his eyes were smiling. "Night, then."

"Night, y'all."


	3. Chapter 3

(Three)

Wolverine stood at the back door looking out to the big oak tree in the back. Molly had been sitting there for a couple of hours now, just staring off into the woods. At least she'd come down from the roof. She'd been sullen and quiet like this for the past two days, even after Remy's return, and he decided he wasn't going to let her brooding continue like this. He stepped out of the house and slowly walked over to where she was sitting. "Hey, darlin'," he greeted, keeping his voice gentle.

Molly looked up at him and smiled, a good sign. She had an air of thoughtfulness, but not one of sadness and anger like before. She was feeling better. **_Hey_**, she signed back.

"You been out here awhile. Got somethin' on yer mind?"

She started to shake her head, but paused. Instead, she asked, **_How long have you known Gambit?_**

" 'Bout four years or so. Why?"

_**Is he as bad as everyone says?**_

Logan wasn't quite sure how to respond. He was aware of her crush and had no desire to encourage it, but didn't want to paint a bad picture of the Cajun, either. He opted for honesty. "I'm not gonna to tell ya that he can be completely trusted, but I will tell ya this — he's been there fer me every time I've needed him ta be. Many times he coulda skipped out and left me, but he didn't. Ya gotta trust yer instincts, yer heart. What do they tell ya?"

_**They tell me that he's a good person. He's always nice to me. He makes me laugh and always tries to cheer me up when I'm upset.**_

"Then ya should pay attention to that, I guess. Just listen up, kiddo. Yer real young. Too young to be more than friends with the guy. He's got a good eight years on ya."

_**I know. He tells me that just as much as you do.**_

"I've never said it."

_**No, but it's in your eyes. Just remember that I've been alone a long time, taking care of myself. I'm not as young on the inside as I am on the outside.**_

He smiled at her sadly and stroked a hand over her head. "Yeah, I know, darlin'. But that don't mean ya gotta go rushin' things, either. Life catches up with us all, it don't need no help. Enjoy yer youth while ya have it."

**_Thanks,_** she replied, smiling now. **_I'll remember that._**

Wolverine patted her head once more and walked off, satisfied that she was feeling better now. Molly watched him go and relaxed her head back against the tree, thinking about what he'd said. She knew he was protective of her and she was grateful for it. It was nice to know she wasn't so alone anymore.

What she'd told Logan was true, she had been on her own for a while. After the death of her mother she'd been put in foster care, but had been passed around a lot. It was difficult to raise a mutant child with claws who couldn't speak. When she was ten, she ran away and began living on the streets of New York City. She might have been small, but out there, her claws and enhanced strength and senses gave her a definite advantage. They kept her ahead of the predators and she used them to protect herself from anyone who tried to take advantage of her. More than a few homeless creeps were walking about with the scars from failed attempts to steal her virginity. None succeeded.

Molly spent time in the parks begging for money or scrounged her meals where she could. She would never match Remy's skill at thievery, but she did learn how to steal for what she couldn't manage any other way. She was very familiar with what the inside of a restaurant dumpster looked like. She favored the Italian and Chinese food places, finding one or two who would feed her scraps at the end of the night so long as she didn't hang around during the day, scaring customers away.

About two years ago, she moved into the abandoned half of a warehouse by the water. The other side was being used for storage by a wealthy businessman named Gordon Mason. He came to the site often and she would watch him through broken glass, marveling at his big shiny car and expensive clothes. One fateful day, the warehouse caught fire — old wiring or some such — and poor Molly was trapped inside. She managed to creep her way out, but heard Mason and his men crying for help. She didn't know them, but yet responded to their voices. She found them in the smoke and used her enhanced strength to haul Mason and one of his men outside to safety. By then the fire department arrived and wouldn't let her back in to aid the others.

Mason was grateful for the save and took Molly in as his ward, giving her a place to live in his huge house. She was still quite wild, but he left her as she was, treating her as some kind of favored dog. He fed her well, clothed her, and kept her clean. He gave her his affection and they grew to be fast friends. He never made a move on her, he was much too old to even consider it, but lavished her with treats and love. Molly had lived without it for so long, she soaked it up like a sponge and was gentle with him, loving him as a father in return.

Mason learned of Karen Richards' work with young mutants and asked her to come down and do what she could to teach Molly to sign. She happily agreed and began her work in earnest, finding in Molly an eager student. Progress was slow, but Molly was determined to learn. Karen came over as often as she could, bringing books and attempting to teach Molly how to read as well.

The party came to an end a year later when Mason had a heart attack. His family came to squabble over the scraps, only to find that the old man had left Molly a good chunk of his estate. She was wild with the strange people now inside the territory she had shared with the old man and had to be restrained. Her mutation ensured that SHIELD would be called. She was taken to a SHIELD holding facility until they could decide what should be done with her. It was there she found kindness in Tommy Jenkins and was told about the Morlock Massacre in greater detail than she'd heard on the streets.

Karen came to see her as well and did her best to have the girl freed, but poor Molly had been too violent at the house. She wouldn't be released to Karen on her own. Karen needed help. She gave Xavier a call, happy to discover Charles knew Mason well and that the Professor was more than willing to arrange for Molly's release into the school's custody. That was how she found herself here now under this tree, pondering a matter not of survival, but of her heart.

She'd pretty much made her decision about Remy but had decided to wait some before talking to him again, just to make sure she was sure. She might have had a crush on Tommy Jenkins, but what she felt for Remy was so much more than that. It was strong enough to tell her she needed to be very careful of her heart.


	4. Chapter 4

(Four)

Kimble lay still and quiet on the floor of his holding cell, his faithful blanket still wrapped around him. It had been a couple of days since the repair and his telekinetic powers had fizzled out as soon as the full strength of the plasma charge Neal had given him wore off. The situation now wasn't what it had been before, he wasn't injured so badly that his body would continue to siphon off power like it had when his feet had been damaged. Once it was known that he required a full charge to maintain his telekinesis, it had been discussed and agreed upon between Henry, the Professor and Gambit that he would not be allowed to fully charge again. Not until he had gotten his mental state under some kind of control, 'Shay was much too dangerous and her threats of bodily harm to others was all too real.

During the couple of days that passed, it was often 'Shay who answered anyone's calls for conversation. She was nasty and cruel, making no bones about her continued hatred of everyone and maintaining her threats even though she never actually got close to anyone to hurt them. As she weakened, she slept more and soon grew quiet altogether. She was cold again and shivering without a full charge, but she no longer cared. At least her feet didn't hurt any more. It made it easier to daydream and drift off into pleasant memories of such lovely beatings and the remembered glow of a steady plasma high.

Yesterday, Henry had forced Kimble to go through some tests in an effort to discover just what had occurred with the healing transfer of plasma. He wanted to get to know Kimble's functions inside and out, just as he would any other mutant. 'Shay put up a fuss, but nothing he wasn't able to work around, and got some surprising results. He was able to determine that the plasma charge from Neal had done more than just simply repair Kimble's external appearance, his inner core temperature had stabilized, at least for now. It had brought another puzzling change. With his inner core stable, his conditions had in a sense reversed. The pilot would now need to cover up to keep his skin warm, just as he done before he had been injured. He was normal again even though it didn't make sense. It seemed logical that as the full charge wore off his inner core would destabilize again and freeze him from the inside out, but that didn't happen. All they had really learned was that Kimble could not be left severely damaged, as when his feet had been mangled, without repair. As long as he was uninjured, he could probably be stable on low power for some time. At least it was convenient, Kimble was essentially powerless and under their complete control without them worrying if he was dying.

Henry had no explanation for this and was giving the pilot a breather before running him through more tests. For now, the pilot was content to cover up and sleep his times away in the holding cell. So far only 'Shay had spoken. She seemed to be in charge of the body for now.

At the moment, she was fast asleep and dreaming, never hearing it when someone came in and sat beside her. 'Shay's little nap was rudely interrupted when she felt a warm hand touch her face and brush her lips. She licked involuntarily and was surprised to taste chocolate. She shuddered and groaned a little as she came more awake. She opened her eyes and saw a slice of chocolate cake in front of her on a plate. Someone had placed it there and smeared frosting on her lips to get her attention.

She looked up and saw Remy seated beside her.

_He's mine!_ Kimble challenged possessively and shoved her back. He had been thinking all this time and had something to say, he wasn't going to let the Quitter stand in his way. She resisted and they fought.

Remy sat quiet as the pilot's battle was waged. He was watching from the corner of his eye, but didn't interfere. He could see Kimble's face and hands twitching as the two struggled for control. He wanted to see who was going to come out on top. He was hoping the chocolate had been a good enough incentive to lure the Lover out. Kimble continued to twitch and grunt softly for a few minutes before he managed to wrest control and finally came out, blinking up at the one who loved him.

Gambit was no longer looking at him, but was seated comfortably cross legged on the floor and laying out some cards in front of him. He was playing solitaire and waiting patiently for Kimble as he roused from his inner battle.

Kimble grumbled and sat up, an ache in every movement. Lakotashay had kept them so still for so long his body, such as it was, had stiffened up on him. He rubbed his eyes and blinked, still groggy from being so low on power.

Remy glanced at him, but said nothing as he scooped up the cards he'd just placed. He wasn't quite sure who he was looking at. The blanket had been left aside, so he knew it wasn't Lin, but it could have been any one of the others. At least 'Shay wasn't shouting insults, the Siskan was oddly quiet. Remy wouldn't know who was at the helm until the pilot was ready to show him. Without speaking, Gambit shuffled the cards and dealt them each a hand.

Kimble numbly picked up his cards and started to play, but his eyes kept straying back to the cake. He hadn't eaten anything in so long and it was a real temptation, so dark and yummy. Remy had also brought him some water. This he did take, drinking quickly in his ususal gulping way, not realizing just how thirsty he'd been.

They played in silence while Kimble lost the first two hands quite badly. He snickered softly at himself, at being bested so easily, bringing a smile to Gambit's face. Now that Remy was sure it was Kimble, the Lover, he was happy. Gambit had been really concerned that 'Shay's threat was all too real and the Lover would never be released. He had just been given a sign that that wasn't the case and he was relieved.

Both times Remy had dealt, he charged a card and slipped it into Kimble's hand, feeding him. Kimble took it readily enough, but like before, the Siskan still didn't absorb much power before he was too full to take any more. The large red scars across his belly were still there and not fading. At least those injuries were minor compared to what his feet had been. They weren't going to slowly kill him.

When Kimble lost the next two rounds as well, he broke down and picked up the cake. He ate it slowly, savoring every bite, and Remy sat waiting patiently. He said nothing and that was just fine with Kimble, he didn't feel much like talking, not just yet. When he was finished eating, he set the plate down and rubbed his belly contentedly. He'd forgotten how good chocolate cake was. "Wuz good. Thanks," he mumbled softly.

Remy was happy that Kimble was here, but couldn't help but notice he was still guarded and wary. This was not the playful, happy Kimble that had been so stoned on plasma. He was down now and back to square one. No pain in his feet, but plenty in his heart. Remy tried to cheer him. "No problem, Kim. You comin' outta 'ere today? Let me take you out. We could go dancin' in de Danger Room. Ain't no one gonna stop us."

Kimble looked up at the door and slowly shook his head. "It ain't safe."

"**_We done the baddest things,"_** Lin said, slipping in and out. **_"We's hurted and killded people." _**

"No one's gonna die from you. Dat's one lie you don' 'ave to believe, little brother."

Kimble put his head down. "Not today."

"All right," Remy said, happy to at least get the one concession. He was pleasantly surprised that Kimble took the cake, he hadn't been sure if he would go for it. Kimble hadn't eaten once since his return. The pilot had been dozing off and on, not moving for the last three days. Gambit had waited, not wanting to be too pushy, but had lost his patience this morning. He knew Jean had just made this cake and couldn't resist using the perfect lure. "I'll be waitin' for you when you're ready."

They fell silent and it was a full minute before Kimble finally said, " 'Shay's real mad from what ya done."

"An' you?"

Kimble tossed his head and shrugged, trying to look like he didn't care. "Like I tol' Seth. If ya ain't gots a Master, there just ain't much point in even bein' alive."

"Gambit tell you he yo' Master now."

"Ya didn't means it."

"Yes I did."

"Fuck me," Kimble demanded, a snide little challenge to prove Remy wrong. His voice lacked conviction, the only sign of strength in him was the hard, probing look he was giving Gambit now. He still couldn't believe.

Remy didn't reply immediately, just locked him with his glittering red eyes, unwilling to back down. It was a refusal, but not for the reasons Kimble was thinking. "Gambit's not quite ready fo' dat. Karen say mebbe you ain't ready either. Gotta get yo' head all straightened out. When you clear, Gambit's gonna take care of you, je promets."

Kimble looked at him oddly, a small malicious gleam in his eye. Since Gambit hadn't said yes directly, he felt he had just been proven correct and so was willing to jab right back. His voice was dripping with sarcasm and derision as he asked, "You gonna do the honors yerself?"

Gambit saw it and felt the vibration of angry resentment that came with it. He knew Kimble didn't believe him about being his Master in any capacity. He felt he was being toyed with. Kimble was proving to be as stubborn as 'Shay in this matter, Remy didn't think he could change Kimble's mind without disrobing and doing it right here on the padded floor. It hurt, being teased so harshly from this Siskan he loved so deeply, but he had warned himself this would happen. Kimble wasn't well and so wasn't himself. Remy was just going to have to let that roll off and so he offered this instead, "Gambit took you out once. He'll do it again. When you all better."

**_"Cain't go out noplace!"_** Lin said, coming out to protest in his tiny little voice. The thought of leaving this place and putting others at risk terrified him enough to come out of hiding. **_"Gots ta stay in the small places! We hurts people! We keeps doin' the baddest things! Cain't go noplace. We gots ta stay in here where it's safe!" _**

"See?" Lakotashay sneered. "If yer gonna do us, boy, gots ta do it yerself. Brave enough to suck our c--ck, little Cajun?"

Remy squirmed. He was seriously tempted to take Kimble for a tumble, Aiden had seen to that, but he realized Karen was right. To do it now with Kimble so broken and trashed would probably be a mistake. His friend was four people and it was just too crowded in there right now. "Mebbe Gambit bring someone in. Got lots of friends. Raul ain't de only one gay."

"Oh, right," 'Shay snorted. "That'll go over really big with yer stuck up, asshole friends. They ain't gonna letcha bring no little boy hookers in here and ya knows it. C'mon, Remy. Jus' do it. Show us how yer a better Master than Kristalay wuz, he wouldn't suck us off neither. Passed us up fer Mary, fer some stupid girl, just like yer gonna do."

Remy's anger at 'Shay spiked sharply at her words until the last. **_/ She's waiting to be rejected. She'll use it as excuse to push you away and kill them. She'll use it to smash Kimble down and the others won't stand in her way, _**Shi'ow-ri spoke to him. **_/ Be so very careful. Say what you have to and don't even think about lying. She'll know. /_**

"I said I would take care of you and I meant it. It don't seem like it now, but Gambit's got a plan, it's just gonna take some time, comprenez? Coupla weeks at least. I just can't do anyt'ing wit you until den," Remy said, being honest. "You just gotta trust me, s'il vous plait."

'Shay turned away. "You ain't our Master."

"All of you t'inkin' dat?" Remy spat out defensively, taking a poll. Just how fucked was he?

"**_We's too bad fer no Master,"_** Lin said. **_"We's a sickness, we killded them all." _**

"Zandy?" Remy challenged.

The Punisher just laughed and teased lightheartedly in his deep gravelly voice, "Maybe I'll decide after ya suck us off. If ya stink then fergit it!"

"Oh, t'anks, Zandy. You ever so helpful," Remy replied with a laugh. That hadn't been the response he expected from the violent, sword wielding Punisher. Guess the guy had a real sense of humor and wasn't such a total hardcase after all. This Gambit could use.

Zander had more to say. He continued to snuffle with coarse, gravelly laughter as he said, "It's Kimble's favorite, ya know. It ain't all that hard. Jus' gotta open up and slide it on in. Use a little tongue. Don't worry, Kimble ain't all that big ---"

Gambit held his hands up in playful surrender, silencing his friend. He could tell from the joking that the Punisher was on his side, he was just playing around, having a laugh at his expense. "Merci, Zandy, merci. Dat's more dan Gambit wanted to know!"

'Shay wasn't done with her painful criticism. "You won't do it. Yer too chicken. You ain't no Master. Not for real. You just run off now, find some pussy an' stick yer face in it. Leave us alone an' let me do my job!"

Gambit's good humor brought on by the Punisher faded quickly, wilting under the harsh mouth of the Quitter. "You ain't doin' no job, 'Shay. Yo' Master forbid it!"

"You ain't our Master!" Kimble snarled, breaking his silence and moving away. He was upset and crying, not the least bit happy about this conversation anymore. "Yer sayin' the words butcha just don't means it. Yer just sayin' it sos 'Shay won't hurt us!"

Remy snatched at him, not letting him get away. "If dat ain't love dan tell me what is! Gambit don't want you to be 'urt cause he does love you, you fuckin' pain in my ass! Bein' yo' Master's got nuthin' to do wit it! Gambit would try to save you if you belong to 'im or not, comprenez!"

Kimble sobbed and turned his head away, wilting into tears under the pressure. "Don' yell at us no more, jus' let us go, please! It's better this way. Just let 'Shay finish us. It'll stop all the pain an' the voices. I jus' cain't takes it no more!"

Gambit pulled Kimble close and spilled him into his arms. "Si bien, cher. Gambit's gonna take care of de pain, an' de voices, too. Mebbe he ain't so brave as ta suck ya off, but he ain't too scared ta hold onto you tight, keep you warm. He'll hold you all night, stop your tears."

Kimble didn't resist but grabbed at him with his hands. He let himself be squeezed and cried softly, tired down to the core of all this. He just couldn't believe Remy's words, they would never be fixed, they would never stop hurting people and spreading misery wherever they went.

Zander was happy, though. Gambit hadn't backed down, 'Shay didn't have a total victory. He twisted Gambit's words around to joke some more. "Damn, an' I wanted the blow job, too. Don' know if I kin wait no two weeks!"

Remy chuckled softly, encouraged by the good humor. Zander was trying to make him feel better. Humor being one of his strong points, Remy was willing to play along. "P'etetre, after Gambit do it so awful, you gonna be glad you 'ad to wait so long."

"Doubt it. Like I said, you just gots ta open up an' swallow. You kin swallow, right?"

Remy shivered in revulsion, he couldn't help it. "Don' push yo' luck, buddy."

"He ain't gonna do it, Zander. Too proud," 'Shay sneered, not wanting the Punisher to get too high on his horse. The Lover had calmed, warmed by these strong arms holding him.

"Gambit ain't too proud," Remy protested, his long slender fingers petting black tresses. "Just got my brain all wired wrong fo' dat kind of t'ing."

"Ya don't hafta do nuthin'," Kimble mumbled, sleepy now. "You ain't our Master, no matter whatcha say. 'Sides we're the ones what gots ta serve, not you. Most of the clients never done it ta us, why should you?"

" 'Cause Gambit loves you enough, he jus' ain't got no courage," Remy replied honestly again. "If Gambit thought it would fix you fo' good, he'd do it and dat ain't no lie, it ain't. But Gambit knows better. 'E got a better way. Promise me you'll wait fo' me, promise!"

Kimble whimpered, pained by Remy's anguish and yet inspired by his conviction. "All right."

"I'll see that he does," Zander promised.

" 'Shay? Lin?"

"Yer full of shit," Lakotashay said, not giving an inch. "Kimble will wait, shure. I'll puts him ta sleep, keep him outta trouble. I'll keeps him down 'til ya do whatever stupid fucked up thing ya gots in mind. We'll do a trade, fucker, huh? Tit fer tat. I kin do it, too. Lin'll help me, won'tcha?"

"Gots ta keep it safe. I'll keeps us in the small spaces. Cain't hurts nobody in there."

"Lin, Gambit's gotta have better dan dat. 'Shay can't be killin' my Kimble."

"No killding, don't wants no killding. That's a bad thing."

"Den 'elp me, petite."

"No killding Kimble. No killding nobodys. I'll keeps it safe 'til ya comes fixin' us."

"It's the best yer gonna git," Zander said with a sigh. "Just hope yer plan is worth it. You gots a ransom fer yer Lover?"

Remy just smiled, hiding his doubt and burying it deep where Kimble's fractured selves would never see it. "Got better dan dat. You'll see. Gambit's de best t'ief dere is. 'E gonna ransom 'is Kimble, just you wait an' see."

"Hope yer right, Cajun. I really do."

"Shut up, y'all!" 'Shay snapped. "Yer all down! I'm in charge now! Me and our Master (snort!) have a deal!"

"No, 'Shay. I'm gonna keeps watch," Lin said, small but very strong. "Gots ta keep it fair."

"Dat's fine wit me," Remy said, accepting the truce. Lin was shy and hid the body away, but he wasn't suicidal. As much as he called for the final punishment, he never once said he would perform the act himself. "What you say?"

"Theys all gone now," Lin said, his tiny voice so soft. He gripped Gambit tightly, wanting to be rocked and kept small. "It's just us in this great big scary place."

"Gambit will watch over you," he promised, trying to hide his disappointment that things had worked out this way. Remy reached for the blanket, pulling it around Lin. The Confessor was just going to reach for it anyway and Gambit wanted him to be comfortable. "Gambit ain't gonna let you outta his sight."

"How you gonna fix us?" Lin asked, his voice soft and drowsy now. It was so nice to be held like this, so warm and safe. All the vibrations from this one who claimed to be their Master but really wasn't were so nice, so loving and protective.

"Gambit got a line on a guy dat fixes 'grams. In a coupla weeks, Gambit's gonna leave an' check 'im out. If 'e's legit, Gambit gonna bring 'im 'here, gonna ransom 'is Kimble."

"Yer gonna leave us?" Lin couldn't hide a tone of panic and Remy was quick to reassure.

"Not fo' good. It ain't safe to bring you wit me. It's safe 'ere at de house, Jael can't come in here an' take you. If I bring you wit me, I can't guarantee yo' safety. You much too precious fo' me to risk, you can feel dat, eh?"

"Yeah. You loves us. You are the Master, ain'tcha? You loves us most of all."

"Oui, cher. Most of all."

Lin closed his eyes and relaxed, releasing his deathgrip on Remy's arms. Gambit didn't let him go. He rocked his damaged Siskan in his arms until his ass and both his legs were numb from sitting on the floor like that. Lin had long since slipped away into a quiet sleep and Remy lay him down, keeping him comfortable. He grabbed the now empty plate and walked out, his eyes terribly sad and worried. He prayed the Games Master was as good as Trishnar said. What was he going to do if he failed?


	5. Chapter 5

(Five)

The days passed and the time for the Games Master arrival drew ever closer. The time did not pass peacefully. Karen had come to see Kimble to try and talk with him, but so far only Lin would come out. He had taken firm control of the body and wasn't letting the others speak. Lin was much too shy for Karen to get far with him. He only spoke in Siskan, prompting her to have to take something of a crash course in the language and most of the time, all he wanted to do was try and warn her off. He wasn't the least bit violent, but he wasn't co-operating either. Until one of the others was back in charge, Karen wasn't going to get far.

As much as he was able to keep the others from working with Karen, Lin did not have as much control over 'Shay as Remy had hoped. It didn't take long for the troublemaker to rear her ugly head, taking advantage of the X-men's lack of knowledge about what had happened to Kimble while he'd been gone. Her secrets were vast and she'd kept them all, hiding her crimes so that none of the X-men might discover them. That very thing had often been on Remy's mind and he had every reason to be concerned about it. He feared it would come back and bite them in the ass like the thing with the phone --- and he was perfectly justified in thinking so.

Remy had been doing his best to lure his broken Siskan from the holding cell, hoping some outside time might get Kimble to push for freedom on his own. However, all the pilot did was sleep and stare off into space when he was in his cell. He was turning into some kind of zombie, he needed to move around. Beast and Karen managed to get SHIELD approval for Kimble to come out on a very limited basis and everyone went along with it, seeing that it might help. The deal was that Remy was supposed to be on hand if and when Kimble actually came out in case anything went wrong.

Lin didn't exactly co-operate. He was determined to stay in the small spaces and was quite the pain in the ass. For the first few days he would go no father than the showers inside the holding area. Any attempts to draw him out of Security only made him collapse into tears, fierce wailing of curses, and thrashing about. Remy gave up on taking him out of Security so he tried working on making him more active in there instead. He moved Kimble from the padded cell back to a regular cell and brought in a computer to Lin's small prison with the express purpose of playing games. He'd been inspired by the playroom at Trishnar's and thought it might come to good use here. Everyone thought he was nuts until they saw how the colorful games caught Lin's attention. His co-ordination was too slow and poor from his lack of energy to play the more sophisticated games, so Remy brought him games for beginners or simple puzzle games. Lin's face lit up with joy and soon his tiny laughter could be heard trickling out of his cell.

Given these small signs of hope, Remy wasn't the only one trying to lure him out, Henry and Seth were doing their best as well. They had some success, Seth and Beast were able to get him to come as far as the Lab, drawn out by a promise of hot chocolate and a new computer game. He had a good visit, drank his cocoa and everyone was pleased.

The next morning, Lin amazed them again by agreeing to come out once more. Lin had just had a very good visit with Remy, playing computer games for hours. Gambit had fallen asleep on Lin's bed, tapped out from a terrible flu bug that was making its way through the complex. This was the real thing and not a designer virus, Beast was sure to confirm it to allay everyone's fears. Lin was playing on the computer, oblivious to his Master's soft, congested snoring, when Beast and Seth came to visit. Henry entered the cell, wanting to see if Lin would come out. Happy now from playing games, the Confessor reluctantly agreed.

Beast wasn't about to let the opportunity go to waste. Lin was brought upstairs to visit with the Professor in his study, something that was only supposed to take a couple of minutes. Charles had wanted to visit with the Siskan and see how he was doing and was hoping that a session outside of the holding cell might do him some good. Charles' study was bright and warm, a seemingly safe environment for Lin's first visit out of the lower level. No one thought to wake Remy, he was clearly feeling ill and they thought it would be best to just let him rest. It would prove to be a mistake.

Henry and Fallen had brought Lin up to the Professor's study with Logan as an escort in case there was any trouble. Wolverine was the only dissenter when it came to moving Kimble about. He distrusted the Siskan's wild personality swings and thought he should be locked up for good. As much as he insisted that Kimble was nothing more than a broken machine, the others kept treating him like a kid who just needed a hug. He knew it wasn't that simple. Logan was nervous about the whole thing and being outvoted, refused to have the Siskan walking about without his tagging along to make sure nothing freaky happened.

Charles was happy to see the shy Siskan come up for a visit and tried to make him feel welcome. "Well, Kimble. You look better," he commented as soon as everyone was settled in his office.

"**_We done the baddest things,"_** Lin confessed, always the first words out of his mouth. Even though he'd been brave enough to come out, he still had a blanket wrapped around him, his shroud. The only part of him visible were his hands and part of his face. He was very nervous and fidgety, looking around the room nervously, thinking this might have been a mistake. He was fretful of the windows and sat the furthest away from those dangerous openings to the outside world. **_"Gots to be vera careful. Don' wanna be hurting nobodys._**"

"Yes, I know," Charles agreed gently after Fallen had translated for him. "That is why we are looking after you."

Lin just sat quiet now, his eyes low with shame.

"I'm sure you'll understand that we are all concerned about your welfare. We care very much about you and are happy you are finally coming out to visit with us. Because of this, we feel it's best if we can keep track of your whereabouts for a while," the Professor explained. He handed him a bracelet and Lin took it automatically. It looked like a watch, but he knew better. "You should wear this at all times. It's another tracking bracelet. Please, put it on."

Lin put it on in a trance. He didn't want it, he had no intentions of going anywhere that would put others at risk, but didn't have the will to fight over it. If they wanted him to wear this, he would. It beeped once he had fastened it and had an orange glowing light on it that was flashing now. His eyes locked on it and he was off somewhere else, dreaming about someplace wonderful and warm.

Fallen snapped her fingers in front of the pilot, but he was gone. "He's been doing this," she complained sadly.

Even though Kimble had been repaired by Neal's influx of plasma, he was still running on minimum power once the boost had worn off. Neal was still around, if Kimble got too low like before, then he would be called upon to recharge the Siskan — under much more controlled circumstances, of course. Zander would not be allowed to ravish the poor boy like he had that one time. In the meantime, the Siskan was very low on energy and as the days passed he sometimes stuttered or stalled, freezing in place for a moment or two. Nothing could rouse him but he always came back to himself eventually. It had been frightening at first, but the others here were growing used to these hiccups in Kimble's operation. It was just spooky how he shut off sometimes, especially if it happened in the middle of a conversation. They would just wait for him to come back and finish where he had left off.

"He'll get better," Henry reassured Fallen. He spent more time with Kimble than she did and had become used to this. "Being out here is only the first step."

One of the Professor's cats, Trixie, came silently into the room. She was a sleek grey tabby, an overly friendly creature who loved attention and wasn't shy about asking for it. She boldly jumped up onto the couch where Lin and Fallen were sitting, walking across laps until she finally settled in Lin's, attracted by the blanket. She rubbed up against him, her purring a dull roar.

The sound gradually made its way into the pilot's fog. 'Shay became aware of it first and saw the animal there. An echo of Leon's voice came to her. _You want this? _Plasma, so rich and warm...

_Yes..._

_Then show me how much. Kill the cat. C'mon, I haven't got all day!_

'Shay was all over it. Here was something an X-man hadn't seen before.Too bad the Master wasn't here, but hey, beggars can't be choosers.

Faster than Lin could see and without so much as an afterthought, Lakotashay snatched up the animal and twisted it with a horrible, loud crack, breaking its back before the poor thing even had a chance to scream. She gathered all their strength and next pulled on the dead, limp thing with her powerful arms and ripped it in two, spraying herself and those around her in gore. This had been Leon's favorite trick and she remembered it well.

"Kimble!" Fallen shouted in horror as she was covered in blood and guts, unable to move. One half of the ruined animal plopped down in her lap, still twitching as it drained of blood down her legs. Lakotashay had moved so fast and unexpectedly, Fallen had no chance to stop her.

Logan pounced on 'Shay immediately and pinned her to the couch. He was incredibly pissed, upset that all of his warnings had, of course, been ignored. Once again, he'd been proven right. He brought one hand around 'Shay's neck, tight as a vise, and buried his knee in her abdomen, crushing her down into the couch. Lakotashay couldn't move and coughed as she heaved for breath. Wolverine drew one hand back and made fist as he choked his prey. "You sick fuck!"

"Fuckin' do it! Whatcha'all waitin' for!" she croaked at him, unable to get a full breath. The pain in her belly from Logan's weight was horrible but familiar. She arched her back even as she choked, pushing herself against the powerful man on top of her, instantly aroused from the pain.

Logan felt her arousal and was horrified when he saw Kimble's large erection jabbing up at him. The pilot had graduated from the boxer shorts to sweatpants, but he wore no underwear. Baggy sweatpants alone were hardly capable of concealing such a powerful desire. It was there for all to see. Logan's eyes widened and his mind went blank as he was instantly lost in a red cloud of rage. He released his grip around 'Shay's neck and punched the pilot viciously, snapping her head around violently. The blow would have broken the neck of any ordinary man.

"Logan!" the Professor shouted, overcome with horror at what was taking place. The whole incident had taken less than a minute.

Henry grabbed at his diminutive teammate and used all of his brute strength to pull him away. Good thing he had plenty, he was able to pull Wolverine back away from Kimble before he could strike him again. He had certainly intended to, Logan was snarling and growling, unable to articulate clearly in his wrath. That door labeled, "Do not Enter" had come open wide and he was lost in an uncontrollable berserker rage.

Jean came running from down the hall at his noise and burst into the room. She didn't understand all that she saw, but knew Wolverine had to be contained. She took him from Beast telekinetically and wrapped him in a tight ball of a shield, blocking his ability to move. She sent him a volley of loving, comforting thoughts and felt him gradually go limp. He was exhausted from struggling and lay still, covering his face. She then did something she disliked doing, but felt she had no choice. She reached inside his mind and flipped an invisible switch, causing him to fall asleep. It was the only way to put him down completely without causing him any further damage.

Meanwhile, the Siskan's body had slumped over onto Fallen's blood drenched lap, gripping his face and smearing it with blood. The power of the blow had snapped Lin back to the fore and he was bewildered. It was a testament to his new capability to receive abuse that he was even still conscious. He remained fully aroused and mumbled blearily, "Master... Master..?" He reached out and pawed out in front of him, groping for a man who was no longer there. When he saw the blood on his hands he freaked, screaming a torrent of hysterical Siskan. 'Shay had given him a new crime, he had failed to keep his promise of not allowing her to kill.

Fallen sobbed uncontrollably, hysterical now herself and going into shock. She was covered in ruined animal parts and not quite sane. Horrible memories from the Dognan pens flashed back on her in a torrent and she vomited explosively, fouling the pilot in her lap even more than he was before.

"Get Kimble out of here!" the Professor ordered to Henry. He wasn't angry even though the animal had been one of his favorites. He simply wanted the situation contained until it could be reasonably explained. He had no clue about what had just happened.

Beast obeyed quickly and scooped up Kimble's body, freeing Fallen. He had to use the extent of his willpower not to heave himself. The Siskan was covered in cat entrails and Fallen's half digested breakfast. It wasn't pretty.

'Shay came back and laughed crazily, grasping Henry tightly, his blue fur sticking to the gore and slime that covered her. "Hey, Kim. Look at this!" She released the Lover, unable to contain her glee. He was sure to freak out worse than Lin had.

Henry winced from the tightness of 'Shay's pinching fingers, but got moving. He heard a low moan from the body in his arms, a soft Kimble noise. Beast walked briskly to the elevator and waited, looking down into the pilot's eyes which had already started to bruise. He had recognized the Lover's voice and in an attempt to distract Kimble from the gore that covered him, said, "Well, hello there. It's been a long time, Kim."

Kimble was as bewildered as Lin had been, not sure why he was here. It was warm and comfortable snuggled here in the blue fur of Henry's massive arms. He was in pain though, and it seemed it he must have been beaten, the ache from his neck was working its way through. It was there with his erection that still remained. What was going on? It was supposed to be that the pleasure followed the beating quickly, but that wasn't happening. His throat was one huge agony. He blinked drunkenly and released his sticky death grip on Henry's chest. "Whasz goin' on? It hurtsz...Master?"

"Rest easy, Kimble. I'll have you down in Med Lab in a minute."

Kimble's brow crinkled in confusion. He became more aware and saw the blood and blue fur glued to his fingers. "Somebody hurt you?"

Henry stepped into the elevator and quickly pressed the button for the lower level. "I'm fine, don't worry," he said, trying to keep his voice calm. He knew as well as 'Shay did that Kimble would not react well. Damn 'Shay. Damn her all to hell. She had done this to get the Lover punished.

Kimble started to whimper as he struggled to remember what had happened. " 'Shay done it again? She-she hurt somebody!"

"It's all right. It'll be dealt with."

The elevator landed and the door swished open. Henry walked briskly down the hallway now, wanting only to bring Kimble to the lab and sedate him as quickly as possible.

Seth looked up as they entered the lab and shrieked sharply when he saw the blood and gore covering his brother. "Fallen!"

"She's fine," Henry said quickly, his temper rising as the situation seemed only to get worse.

Seth instantly reacted to the sight of all that blood. He had an aversion to violence, the sight of blood was even worse. He immediately dropped down to the floor and covered his ears, gasping loudly as he squeezed his eyes shut tight. He had no idea who's blood it was but seeing as how Kimble was involved, this was certain to be bad. He was trembling all over and frightened tears poured out of his eyes. He was hysterical and hardly able to contain it, but Henry had no time for him. He lay Kimble down on one of the beds and left for his office. He had several tonics there already prepared for Kimble in case of emergency.

Kimble shivered and whimpered more loudly now. He panted out denials of 'Shay's violent act, but could no longer dismiss the blood that was all over him. "No! No! Helps me! Remy!" he shrieked, his body a continuous convulsion as he shook violently. As much as he denied the Cajun was his Master, there was no else he wanted more right now. "REMY!"

"We done the baddest thing again!" Lin wailed, his Siskan voice leaking around Kimble's and taking over. He had let the Master down, he had failed. The Master was sure to punish them.

Henry came to him quickly and forced him to drink the tonic, being compelled to yank on his hair a bit, only adding to Lin's pain. Thankfully, it didn't take long for the drought to take effect and Lin lay his head back in a stupor, almost out cold by the time the others had made their way down.

Fallen limped in, held up by Storm, the Professor had called her down to lend a hand. Fallen was shaking and trembling, still sobbing. She was covered in blood and looked like an extra from a horror movie. Seth went to her but couldn't control his hysterics at the sight of her. The thought of blood on Kimble was bad enough, seeing it on her was even worse. She did her best to help him. She staggered to the shower, dragging Seth with her in spite of his noise. She had to clean up. She had to get this awful blood off of her, but didn't want to leave him alone. The door shut and the lab was more quiet.

A moment later, Gambit stumbled in. His face was red, flushed from a slight fever and his nap. He felt like shit and was now upset, adding to his misery. Jean had brought Logan down to a holding cell until they could be sure he would be calm when he woke. The noise had wakened Remy and he'd been given some sketchy details of Lakotashay's crime. He rushed over to Kimble now, making a face when he saw his Siskan's condition. "Sacre merde! Gambit close 'is eyes fo' one minute an' all 'Ell be breakin' loose! What de fuck 'appened!"

Henry gave him a quick briefing on what he'd seen. He was trembling now himself and feeling more than just a little ill. The room reeked of blood and vomit, enough to make even the most sturdy of doctors queasy.

Gambit was upset that he hadn't been consulted about Kimble's being brought upstairs. He didn't know if his being there would have prevented this, but he was still responsible for the pilot. "You don't move 'im again wit'out me, comprenez!"

"It wasn't supposed to be that big a deal, really. It was only for a minute. Lin surprised us by agreeing to come out so we didn't wait. I'm sorry," Beast stammered lamely.

"C'est bien, 'Enry. Really, it's okay. Jus' next time, get me, s'il vous plait?" Remy said, excusing him. The words didn't hide his disappointment that his order had been ignored.

"Yes. I'm sorry."

"Gambit knows," Remy said, his voice now low and tired.

Remy looked down at Kimble's sleeping face, trying hard to control his emotions. Yes, Anya had warned him about 'Shay and what she was capable of, but he'd hoped that was all in the past. The trick here was to discover what had flipped her out. How was he going to get answers? Lin confessed his crimes but not what inspired them. Looking at Kimble's battered face gave him some new ideas. He would probably have to steal that information from her or one of the others, most likely Kimble if he was free now. He was disappointed he'd missed the Lover, it had been so long since they had spoken. Some extreme measures might have to be taken.

"I'll take care of 'im," he whispered sadly.

"You can use my bathroom," Henry offered. "I can wait."

Remy nodded and with great care, scooped up the pilot and left with him for Henry's quarters. Beast had a lovely huge bathroom with a large bath tub. Remy lay Kimble's limp and lifeless body into it and used Henry's hand held showerhead to rinse him down. He looked at the welts on Kimble's stomach and the huge ugly bruises that were now spreading across his neck. Kimble didn't have bones in the real sense, so he displayed the damage Wolverine had done to him in big black bruises. Remy's pain surged. How was he going to keep Kimble safe? How many times was he going to clean blood from his friend? This was so horrible, he couldn't stop himself from crying.

Henry heard him and gently lay his big blue hands on Remy's shoulders. "He'll be all right."

"I should jus' take 'im down to Trishnar's. It ain't no good fo' him 'ere. We ain't takin' care of 'im proper, he's a fuckin' mess!"

"When do you go to Yosemite?"

Gambit sniffed. "Coupla days. Just a couple mo' days, dat's all. Merde!"

"Then wait. We'll look after him, I promise."

Remy nodded and carefully soaped Kimble down. The pilot mumbled and groaned in his stupor, but didn't wake. He laughed softly when the warm water hit him again as Remy rinsed him down and Gambit took some comfort in that. It wasn't 'Shay's voice, it had been Kimble's. He dried him off, dressed him, and carried him back to the holding cells. When the tonic wore off, he would have a talk with the pilot, see if he could figure this new puzzle out.

Gambit knew it was up to him to figure out what had just happened. Karen would be sure to report the incident and Fury would need an excuse for it or Kimble would never be freed. He found himself promising Henry that he would get Kimble to talk, one way or another. They both knew it needed to be done since all of this would have to go into Karen's weekly report. To hide it would result in Kimble being taken away and neither one was willing to risk that. If they could provide Fury with an excuse or at the very least something that could be worked on through therapy, all the better. Henry wasn't sure how Remy was going to get his Siskan to speak, but if anyone could worm a secret out of anyone, it was their clever thief.

------------------------

That night, when the tonic wore off, Gambit and Seth went down to the padded holding cell with Karen to have a little talk with the pilot. Of course it was 'Shay who greeted them, she had been waiting eagerly for this. Now their pathetic new Master would see it was better for them just to die. A few hours had passed and the damage done to her from Wolverine's blow was now fully displayed. She was sporting fashionable large ugly bruises all around her neck and around her eyes, making her look like a walking corpse from a strangulation murder. It made Remy feel ill, but it wasn't going to stop him from going through with this. Remy and Seth entered the cell and circled her, pushing her to the back of the tiny room. Karen stayed at the door to watch.

"Kimble, dat you in dere?" Remy demanded without preamble.

"Ha! Fuck you!" 'Shay spat, her eyes gleaming with pure malice.

"Lemmie talk to Kimble."

"Go fuck yerself!" 'Shay snarled, a smug smile on her face.

Gambit took another step forward and she lashed out at him. With their power still so low, her movements were slow and sloppy. All he had to do was sidestep out of the way. She came at him and they sparred, but it wasn't much of a contest. He was quite a bit stronger than the Professor's cat and much more able to defend himself. Remy grabbed her wrists and crossed her arms in front of her as he shoved her back against the wall and pinned her with his body.

"Lemmie talk to Kimble!" he demanded again.

'Shay spit in his face.

Remy laughed impatiently and rubbed his face on his sleeve. "You fightin' dirty, chere. Dat's all right. Gambit know a trick or two."

He came at her and kissed her full on the mouth, sending out as much of a love vibration he could consciously muster. He was daring to use the Kundatesh against 'Shay in an effort to bring Kimble to the fore. He had gained some real control in the use of this power thanks to Babette and he had overcome a lot of his shyness regarding Kimble's gender. Seven days with a truckload of Siskans could do that to a man, especially being with one as clever as Aiden had been. It was a brave move Remy was making now for two reasons. One, he didn't know if 'Shay would bite him. Two, he had an audience here with Karen and Seth and he didn't know how they were going to react.

Karen made a small noise of surprise at his actions, but Seth remained quiet, staying close by in case Remy needed him to back him up. He wasn't the least bit offended or put off by what he was seeing, he knew what Gambit was doing. It was the same as he'd done when Lakotashay had taken control before and a technique he often used to get Lin to do what he wanted. The sure way to draw Kimble out was to let him know he was loved. He responded to the need. Seth had come in case Remy failed to draw Kimble out on his own.

Kimble's body shuddered and he moaned softly as he came to the fore. Remy's love vibration had been so powerful, it had empowered him to shove Lakotashay back. Remy's training and exposure to powerful wielders of the Kundatesh had effectively doubled the strength of his own power. That and his own feelings towards Kimble had changed. He could now direct the sexual nature of the vibration, explaining what he was feeling now without ever speaking a word.**_ / Gambit loves you, Kim. 'E love you fo' real. 'E always 'as. 'E's not scared no more. Come out and talk to 'im, s'il vous plait. /_**

Gambit's kiss was taken up with real love and passion and Kimble twisted his arms, using Remy's desire to restrain him to better keep the thief in close.

They continued to kiss for a full minute before Remy finally pulled away. He hadn't been prepared for how good it was to kiss with one as skilled as this. He had completely forgotten he was making out with a man, all he "felt" was Kimble's spirit, the being he was inside, not the body in front of him. The Kundatesh had melded them together and all that really passed between them was a statement of mutual love and respect.

Kimble chuckled up at Remy as he looked at him with eyes weary from the never ending battle within. "I likes the way ya kiss. Shoulda done this a long time ago," he whispered, his voice husky with desire.

Remy smiled, happy now that his plan had worked. He relaxed his body against Kimble's, comfortable against the wall as he went to work. "I 'ave to talk to you."

"**_Are ya ready ta have that talk now then?_**" Kimble asked in Siskan, his eyes hopeful. Remy's vibration had been so powerful and he could taste the thief in his mouth. Spice and cigarettes and whiskey. Kimble trembled, he was almost crazy now with want. **_"The one 'bout you an' me?" _**

Gambit startled, he thought Kimble hadn't heard him say that way back when the pilot had been so high on plasma. **_"Non. Dat one comes later when you fixed up. It's gonna happen, it will, but dis's sumptin' else. Sumptin' important." _**

Kimble turned his head away, all too ready to cry. He felt a surge of anger, Remy was toying with him as Bruce had done before. Stupid games, he wanted none of them. "Go find yer stupid wife an' leaves me alone!"

Gambit felt his anger. "Don' turn away, Kim. Don' you run from me. I love you an I really need you t' 'elp me now," Remy pleaded in English now, trying his best to keep Kimble out. "S'il vous plait!"

"Kiss me again," the Lover demanded angrily, testing.

"After."

"Now or just go fuck yerself!"

Gambit debated his options and decided to go for it. What the hell, right? He'd already gone this far. He kissed Kimble again but then next cursed himself for a fool. He wasn't prepared for Kimble's backwash of angry powerful desire as it surged through him. Kimble was returning the favor, only he was truly Siskan and his Kundatesh much more powerful. Remy just knew this time Kimble was fully aware of the effect he was having and was consciously trying to seduce him. The Lover had done this on purpose, it was payback for the tease. The knowledge of this didn't make resistance any easier. It was the benefit of Gambit's training as an X-man that kept him from being washed away. He felt the full force of the Lover's intense want and need for him and almost fell under the spell, it was so powerful.

Something unexpected happened though, something Kimble hadn't planned on. He was trying to seduce someone with the same gift he possessed and the Kundatesh ran both ways. As much as he was trying to overpower Remy, to punish his new Master for daring to tease, he was being betrayed from within. Kimble's body was speaking to Remy as Babette's had, not with words, but with a powerful vibration that could never lie.**_ / I'm hurtin' inside, Remy. I'm angry, but my love for you is vera real. I wouldn't be hurting this bad if it wuzn't. I just wants ta be worthy of you and it just ain't never gonna happen. I don't deserve you. I don't deserve nobody no more and hurts like nuthin' else. What am I gonna do?_**

Gambit felt it, understood the unintentional message clearly. Kimble was acting defiantly, but his heart had been laid bare and Remy knew he would win. The Quitter would fall because deep down, Kimble really did want to live and he wanted to be loved, he was simply hurt and scared.

Gambit's will was strong, empowered by this knowledge, and Kimble was the first to break away. "Oh, god!" he whispered, his trembling worse now. "I wants ya so bad! Remy, please!"

"Gambit knows. 'E don' mean to 'urt you, 'e jus' gotta talk to you."

"It hurts so bad, Remy!" Kimble sobbed. "These stupid cuts and bruises, they ain't nuthin' compared to this pain what's livin' inside 'a me!"

"Gambit's gonna 'elp you, little brother. You jus' gotta 'ang fo' a little while. Coupla days, Gambit's gonna go find someone who can 'elp you."

"Yer the only one who kin helps me. Yer the only one who understands. Fuck me, Remy. The pain'll go away, I swears!"

"Nice try, Kim, but Gambit's knows better. Dat alone ain't gonna be near good enough."

"Please!" Kimble pleaded and broke down into wracking sobs. "It hurts so much!"

"We got no time for dat now. Talk to me, little brother," Remy replied, his voice thick now. He was aroused from the Kundatesh, but at the same time almost ready to cry from Kimble's misery. He pressed his body closer to Kimble for comfort and tried to send vibrations of love and concern, not to tease now, but to soothe. Kimble's pain was an agony for him.

Kimble felt it and went limp. He wasn't going to get his way, this pain was never going to go away. He was a fool for ever thinking so. "Whatcha wants ta know?" the Lover said in a hoarse, dry whisper, giving in.

It hurt Remy to see that capitulation, the complete desolation in Kimble's face as he looked away. Kimble had relented not because he wanted to, but because he felt he had no choice. Remy wished there was something he could do or say to prove to Kimble once and for all that he was loved without question, but there was nothing he could do for it, not just yet. He kept his voice gentle and kind as he asked, "Tell me why 'Shay done tore up de 'Fessor's cat, s'il vous plait. Was it just to piss Wolvie off or sumptin' else?"

"**_We done the baddest things!"_** Lin suddenly shouted, startling Gambit as Kimble was displaced.

Remy winced from the shouting, his ear had been right next to Kimble's mouth and he'd been blasted. "What baddest t'ing, Lin? Tell Gambit!"

"**_The baddest bloodiest things!_**"

"You keep sayin' dat, petit, but you ain't never said what exactly. Why did 'Shay do what she done? Tell me, tell yo' Master!"

Lin started to answer, to obey, but gasped sharply as 'Shay suddenly regained power in an effort to defend her secrets. She took control with the full force of her anger and slammed her knee into Gambit's crotch without mercy. He hadn't been the least bit prepared for her attack, so aroused and spellbound he'd been by Kimble, and she knew it.

Gambit never made as a sound as his legs buckled and his world greyed out for a moment. Sparkly things danced across his eyes and he wasn't sure he could maintain consciousness. He almost forgot how to breathe. Again, it was a testament to his training and the physical weakness of the pilot that he never let her go. He pushed against her as he started to fall, using his greater weight to prop himself up as he held her back.

"Baiser-vous, putain! You fuckin' bitch!" Remy wheezed. "Dat wasn't nice!"

Karen rushed forward to assist, but a flash of Gambit's red eyes held her in place. When he wanted her help he would ask for it. She took a step back, but not too far.

Gambit returned his attention to his Siskan and Lakotashay chuckled evilly at him. "Not much of a lover now, are ya! Don't think I don' know what yer doin', ya sick fuck! How dare ya tricks Kimble like that? Yer usin' his pathetic little cock ta git ta me! Ha! I'm too strong fer ya! I hates you! I hates you! I hates--"

"Aw, shut the fuck up!" Zander snarled abruptly, cutting her off. He'd been roused from his slumber by her anger and wondered vaguely if they were under some kind of attack. He really needed to be at full power to do anything about it, but he'd grabbed momentary control just the same. He regarded Remy now, noting the squint of his eyes and the way his legs were shaking. Lakotashay had taken care of this threat with satisfaction, such as it was.

Zander took advantage of the situation to play a bit of turn about. He slipped his wrists free to grab Remy's own and seize control. Now he was essentially holding Gambit up as the thief was reeling. He sniffed at Remy with unveiled sexual interest. "Hey, kid. You don' look so good," he chuckled with a wry smile.

"Gambit 'ad 'is better days, mon ami," he complained, steadying himself on his shaky legs. His stomach had dropped somewhere around his knees and he was close to throwing up. He was doing his best not to show his present weakness, but he was in real pain.

"Ya know, heh, yer kinda pretty right up close," Zander teased gruffly, sniffing at him again and licking his lips, the wolf eyeing its prey. "Too bad 'Shay took ya down, maybe ya coulda managed a kiss fer me, too. Course, I'll be more'n happy ta have that blow job now, seein' as how yer halfway down to yer knees already."

Fooling around was the last thing Gambit had on his mind at that moment, really. His crotch was one huge agony and quite frankly, he was a little scared of the Punisher. He remembered all too well Zander's fury and the ease with which he had taken Sabretooth down. Remy knew he had to accept all four personalities because they were all parts of Kimble, but it was the Lover he could easily kiss, not this dangerous one. Still, he recalled what Anya said about using an alliance between Zander and Kimble to defeat Lakotashay's hold. Maybe now was a good time to put that to a test. "You know what I want, eh? 'Elp me out 'ere an' I'll see what I can do," he offered around his pain, still at work.

"Trick 'r treat," Zander continued to tease in his low growl, remembering the children that had come so brightly dressed on Halloween to the loft. "C'mon, boy. I gots yer answer. Kimble didn't know nohow, he couldn't ever watch, y'know? But the killin' never bothered me none. I gots yer answer right here, I'll even settle fer that kiss. Come an' gits it, lover...if yer brave enough."

Remy laughed in frustration, shaking his head. He couldn't fault Zander's cleverness. Who's idea had it been to persuade Kimble to talk this way? Oh, yeah. Mine. _"You wan' dat boy ta talk, no problem. Gambit get it outta 'im, no fuss at all_," he had said oh so confidently. Oh, well. Time to pay the piper.

"You gonna kick me, too?"

"Only if it sucks," Zander grumbled good naturedly, happy now.

Gambit sucked it up and kissed him.

Zander was much more aggressive and used Remy's captured wrists as a means to bring him closer. He was rougher and more passionate than the Lover had been and Gambit thought it was like kissing someone completely different from Kimble. It wasn't entirely unpleasant, like fucking in a rush because you might get caught. Remy flushed instantly, never one to mind a little roughness so long as it didn't get out of hand. Zander was firm but gentle enough, his free and unrestrained lust bright and powerful, tinged with no small amount of love as well. Remy was reminded of Aiden and the thought roused his body, sending a bolt of liquid heat right to where he was hurting the most. Once more his groin throbbed with pain as his poor bruised penis rose in response, having its own agenda, one not necessarily the same as its poor beleaguered owner.

Zander felt his prisoner stiffen against him and recognized Gambit's acquiescence, his receptiveness. He gave Remy his tongue and blasted away Gambit's pain from 'Shay's blow, flooding his mind with bright white bliss. Here it was, the Kundatesh again. Remy's Kundatesh addicted mind was greedy for it instantly, lost and drowning in it, his body finally unable to say no. The Punisher was delirious with joy and triumph. Maybe Kimble wouldn't catch the prize, but Zander thought he might be up to it.

Gambit had already succumbed even as a powerful vibration from Zander crashed in on him. **_/ You an' me? Anatime. You just say the word. I'll make ya squeal, boy. You'll never look at a man th' same way again, I promise ya that. /_**

Remy shivered. **_/ Oui. Just do it. Do it now. Do it an' don' ever stop. Don' ever... /_**

"Hey!" Seth cried out as Remy's eyes fluttered shut and his legs finally gave way. Seth gave Zander a shove, breaking the spell.

Remy groaned at the separation, his body screaming for more. Lord have mercy, what had he gotten himself into? Zander's magic was even more powerful than Kimble's. He could see Kimble's shine now, all shimmery and bright. " 'Elp me, Zander. Tell me what I wanna know. Gambit's earned it!" he gasped, still on the job while barely hanging on to his own sanity.

He was flushed and fully aroused himself now, feeling no more pain. No, he was high instead, not even close to being in control. He had to finish this and get out of here before things got even more out of hand. He hadn't been able to resist Babette or Aiden when they used their power, he wouldn't be able to hold back Zander for long either, not with his body demanding more of this wonderful potent magic. He had been ready to let Zander fuck him right now, right here, no problem. If the Punisher hadn't been pushed back, he had no doubt it would have happened. His belief that he could control the situation here was woefully mistaken.

"Loved the kiss! Leon made 'er kill cats fer plasma! But that ain't all she done!" Zander blurted out, letting Gambit off the hook with a knowing wink. The Punisher grunted and willingly lost control of the body as 'Shay fought him. She was furious now, wild with anger. Inside the circle of light, 'Shay flung her sign at the Punisher to silence him and it hit him, right on target.

"Ow!" Zander barked in pain on the outside and squirmed, not strong enough to fight her and keep hold on the body.

Remy had what he wanted and was elated. He had still managed to pull this off without embarrassing himself too much. He felt Zander jerk as if he'd been struck. "What she do, Zandy, eh? She kick you, too?"

"Fuckin' hit me, the cunt!" Zander snapped and let go.

Remy felt him leave and pushed away from the pilot, backing up. He wanted to get some breathing room and catch his breath. 'Shay wasn't about to give it to him. He braced for impact and was ready when she came for him again, Zander's love blast having taken enough of the edge off of his pain to give him the strength to do what he needed.

"I hates you!" 'Shay screamed. She was enraged that this had gotten turned around on her. Remy was supposed to be giving the execution orders now, not gripping them so tightly, his heart still full of love for them. "Yer the one who's bad, trickin' us like that! I hates you! I'll hates you ferever!"

"Didn' 'ear ol' Zandy dere complainin' 'bout it, but dat's all right. Dis ain't about 'im, dis about you, little sister. Gambit knows you been 'urt. 'E knows t'ings ain't all been goin' your way no matter 'ow strong you try ta look. It's okay what you done, chere. It wasn't your fault," Remy said, trying to reach out to her. She was the most powerful and the most stubborn. She was Kimble's pain.

"I likes the killin'! I likes ta do it!" she shouted, clawing at his eyes.

He grabbed her wrists again. "I know you lyin'. Gambit can smell it on you. You jus' love your precious guilt, don'tcha, girl? Too bad it's rippin' you apart. You been workin' real hard shovin' me away, but I done tol' ya, you ain't never gonna be rid a Gambit. Not 'til 'e fixes you once an' for all. Gambit ain't no quitter and he got all de time in de worl' ta fool around with you. You wanna dance? Gambit's got all day!"

She fought him, but was soon reduced to tears when she saw she was getting nowhere. This body was just too weak and unsturdy without the plasma. She slumped and crumpled to the floor, weeping.

Remy went down with her, holding her arms tightly and not letting her fall. He let go of her wrists and pulled her close. "It ain't yo' fault, what Leon make you do. It's okay now. Shhh..." he whispered and rocked her.

"It ain't never gonna be okay again...not fer us. Not ever again. Not ever!"

"Yes it will. You jus' gotta 'ave some patience an' stop fightin' us all de time."

"You won't win," she promised. "When yous ain't lookin', I'm gonna come an' finish this. Jus' you wait and see. I'm stronger than yous, you'll see..." she sobbed, turning her head away.

"**_I'm sorry I couldn't stops her,"_** Lin confessed in his soft and tiny Siskan, not looking at him. **_"We still do the baddest things. Let us go. Let 'Shay do fer us, please!" _**

"Ne jemais, petite. **_It ain't never gonna 'appen. Not even fo' you." _**

"_**It's jus' gonna keep hap'nin'. The hurtin' and killdings. We ain't safe." **_

"_**It'll be okay. Jus' give me a coupla more days, dat's all." **_

"_**You still trust us?" **_

"_**Yeah. 'Enry and Seth gonna watch over you. Jus' do what dey say, keep quiet. Keep in de small spaces. You gonna be strong fo' me?" **_

"_**I'll try. I'll do it fer you. Fer my Master." **_

"Merci," Remy said, another tear leaking from him. My Master. He'd made some ground, both the Punisher and the Confessor were firmly on his side. It didn't ease the ache inside of him. He'd gotten the information he wanted, but it didn't really seem to matter. Kimble was still gone. He had no doubt 'Shay meant what she had said about killing them. He would have to put trust in his teammates to watch over his Siskan while he was gone, he simply had no choice. He rocked tiny Lin until he was dozing lightly and then lay him down before covering him up. He stood up on shaky legs and wiped at his mouth. The ache in his groin was horrible, Zander's backwash had faded and he was tired now. He kept his head low and walked out, giving Karen a wan smile as he passed. "Tol' ya Gambit would find out."

"You okay?" she asked, genuinely concerned. "That wasn't as easy as you made it look."

He shrugged casually and limped off towards the nearest bathroom. His stomach was swirling and he knew he would heave. He would heave and then he would go and get nice and drunk. He didn't know what bothered him more, the technique he had used, or the fact that he'd enjoyed those moments of contact with Kimble and Zander. This was beyond his body's desire for the Kundatesh, he felt a love that went further than that. He would feel this way about that crazy pilot without it. It was getting easier and easier to give himself over and he wasn't sure what to do about it. He just wished Kimble would hurry up and get his shit together, but it didn't look like it was going to happen any time soon.

-----------------------------

Karen followed Remy out of Kimble's cell, hoping he would be okay. She could tell he was hurting even though the thief was doing his best to hide it. There was a definite limp in his stride and paleness in his cheeks, the brief shot of bliss Zander had given him was wearing off. He said nothing more to her, but signed out at the desk and left.

Karen lagged behind in Security, she couldn't help but look in on Logan while she was there. He'd spent the day in the holding cell next to Kimble, placed there so the two combatants couldn't see each other from across the room.

Wolverine was awake now, blinking weakly in the gloom of his darkened cell. He hadn't been up long. He was propped up against the wall, his head down and his hair tangled from his nap. Some may say that she hadn't dated Logan long enough to really know the guy well, but that wasn't true. She knew his type. He wasn't the first feral she had met and he wouldn't be the last. He was however, one of the more successful at beating back all that wildness. Molly had been fortunate not to inherit the full fledged feral mutantcy from dear old dad, she didn't share his whip crack temper, but Logan did. And he would fight it all his life. Karen knew he would be withdrawn, horrified by his loss of control. She would have to approach him carefully.

Wolverine wouldn't look at her as she came to his door, though she knew he must be aware that she was there. "Hey, love," she whispered to him. "Can I come in and talk with you?"

"It ain't safe," he replied gruffly, turning his head away.

She stood there, observing him quietly. He was relaxed, his hands limp in his lap, his face smooth and even. If he'd been really angry, she would have seen his jaw working, but he was still. Safe. She unlocked the door and entered against his wishes, keeping her eye on that jaw. Her love was much too powerful for her to leave him alone like this, no matter how stubborn he was being. In spite of his warning, he made no move to stop her, he simply refused to look at her.

She came and sat next to him onto his bunk. She knew him well enough to know that it was too early for words, so she just put her arms around him and drew him close to her. At first he resisted, but then he relented and they lay down together, him with his eyes closed and her hands gently petting him, stroking his back. Now that he had given in, she knew she would win. She hummed softly, some tune he couldn't make out, but it soothed him just the same.

After a moment, he asked softly, "Is the kid okay?"

"Yes. Remy came to see him and he got Kimble to speak. It seemed that Leon forced him to kill cats for plasma. He saw the cat and reacted without thinking. None of what happened was your fault."

"He done it on purpose. That was no accident."

"She wouldn't have thought of it on her own, she just used what she already knew. She's very angry at the world right now. It's treated her unfairly and she's lashing out. Unfortunately you were an easy target. She did it to make you do just what you did."

Wolverine shivered against her. "I lost control."

"It's all right. It's done."

"I saw... I saw him gettin' all horny and I...I couldn't stop myself..."

"Shh. It's all right."

"All I saw was Crazy John... I couldn't let him do that to me again."

"It wasn't him."

"I know that now, but at the time... I can't help but think...what if it happens again? I coulda killed somebody."

"We can work on that, just you and me. It will be all right. You just have to learn to let the anger go. Don't let it win, don't let Crazy John win."

Alone with her, he could let some of his guard down. He began to shake with emotion, letting some of it out. He squeezed her tightly, grimacing as he snarled, "I won't! I can't! I fight an' I win. I always win. Nobody's ever taken me down an' it ain't gonna start now!"

"That's my little fighter. Fight your anger, but don't fight me, love. Let go of that anger, you don't need it anymore. Let it go and come out with me."

He gasped and relaxed with a shudder, opening his eyes. They were wet but he wouldn't cry. He was quiet for a moment, simply breathing her in, before agreeing. "All right."

She smiled. "Good. Let's go."

He grinned at her, softening the look of his face. It was the same cocky smile that melted her heart every time. "Yer all proud of yerself, ain'tcha? Thinkin' you got me all figured out?"

Karen laughed. "Oh, I'm sure I've only just begun to scratch the surface of you — darlin'. I figure that it'll take a long time to break down that wall you've constructed so nicely. That's okay, I love a challenge and I've got nowhere else to be."

He grunted at her happily and rose, taking her hand to lead her along. Karen signed him out at the Security desk — having the house shrink as your girlfriend has its perks — and they went up through the house. She fed him and then lay with him, happy that he'd calmed down so fast.

It made her look good, really. She knew he was difficult, all that morning she'd been cautioned that it could be a couple of days before he would be willing to leave the cell, never mind communicate with any one. She'd been warned of his 'spells', or dark periods where he went almost completely feral and was wild and dangerous. He would most likely flee once released and take off for the woods for a few days before coming back quiet, but not quite contrite for anything he might have damaged on the way out.

Wolverine made liars of them all. He'd been down in the holding cell for only a few hours and Karen had lured him out with relative ease. He gave no sign of violence nor showed any desire to leave. Quite the contrary, he clung to her and gave her his passion, curling himself around her afterwards, not quieting until she had gently petted him to sleep as always. It was as if that ugly scene that morning hadn't happened. Charles was certain to give her a raise.

She just hoped that he wouldn't be violent towards Kimble the next time the two of them were in the same room together. She'd have to work on that, spend some time talking to her lover. Like Fallen, he had a hard time buying into Kimble's psyche being fractured for real. She would have to do her best to convince him that the breaking was real and each one had to be handled a certain way. Worse than that was his stubbornness in accepting that Kimble was more than just a machine that could be switched off or shut down without penalty, as if Kimble wasn't even truly alive. This was no doubt reinforced by the fact that Kimble had no scent or heartbeat, things Logan normally used to assess people. Kimble's inorganic status denied him that. No matter what Wolverine believed, he at least had to be convinced that the pilot's co-operation was best attained by playing along to a point. Seth had learned this early and manipulated his brother with relative ease, Logan would just have to do the same. Given enough time, she felt she just might be able to get him to the point where he could at least tolerate the pilot as he was. She hoped she could, if just to keep the peace.


	6. Chapter 6

(Six)

Gambit paced restlessly beside the Blackbird, his face hard with impatience. Kimble had been quiet since the cat incident and the last day had passed quickly. It was now time to head out to Yosemite. The jet was just about ready for take off and he had no more time. He was waiting.

_Molly ain't comin',_ he grumbled to his inner self.

**_/ She will. Have patience./ _**Shi'ow-ri whispered, ever the optimist.

Storm peeked her head out of the door of the jet, watching him pace. She could see he was waiting for something although he had said nothing to anyone. She didn't like the hardness of his face, it meant he was hurting and foolishly trying to hide it. It pained her, but he hadn't explained why he was so worried. Storm wasn't one to pry and if he wasn't going to bring it up, she wouldn't push him. She made a soft noise so he would look up at her. "Gambit, the jet is ready. We have to go."

"Oui, chere. Gambit's comin'," he replied, unable to hide the look of terrible disappointment on his face. He had really hoped Molly would come see him off, but he hadn't seen her all day. He'd seen very little of her the past two weeks, actually. He'd been carrying around this secret hope that she would come back to him quickly after their rooftop conversation went so well, but she had been like a ghost, taking her time to consider what he'd said. They'd seen each other around, but not to talk, and he was being respectful and didn't push the issue. He'd just run out of time to deal with this and his heart was filled with a terrible ache. He was flying off to Yosemite in a few minutes and had no idea how long he would be gone. He had hoped to have resolved things with her before he left but it didn't look like that was going to happen. He bowed his head and started to climb the ladder.

He took one step, but stopped when he heard the tram pull up to the hanger. His body gave a mighty shiver when he heard a bark and Molly's sneaker clad feet running up to him. He turned into her embrace, an automatic movement, but the wetness of his eyes was anything but planned. They collided in a rush of heat and love, emotions running wild. He gave her a mighty squeeze and whispered, "Merci, mon Dieu, merci!"

Storm couldn't help but smile behind her surprise. She hadn't known who to expect, certainly not this girl, but there was no mistaking Gambit's relief. Ororo had no idea there was anything beyond friendship with these two, but it was clear now that Molly was very special to him. It pleased her, she was fond of Remy, she always would be, and his happiness brought a surge of joy in her heart. "Two minutes, Remy," she said as she withdrew. "We cannot wait any longer."

In the control tower, Logan crossed his arms and sighed with impatience. He was in charge of the takeoff and he'd had a good idea of why Remy had been waiting. He had just gotten his proof. As much as he disapproved, this relationship between the thief and his niece was continuing to grow. Remy was so uncertain about Rogue, about Kimble. The last thing he needed was to complicate matters by dragging Molly into it. Couldn't Remy see how this was only making things worse? Maybe it was time for him to have another long talk with the boy.

Down in the hanger, Gambit released the girl in his arms so he could see her hands. Quickly now, he gave her a slip of paper. "Gambit's gotta go, Molly girl. Dis here de number fo' my satellite phone. Gotta use dat, dere ain't no cell towers out dere. 'E gonna call you twice every day, dere's de times. I wrote it down so dere ain't no chance of us missin' each other. If Gambit don' call, den 'e got hung up somewhere or mebbe, God willin', he wit de Games Master. If I miss you den I'm gonna keep callin' 'til I get you, chere, je promets. Don't know how long I'm gonna be gone, but I will call you, I swear."

**_I believe you. I'll keep this with me,_** she said, tucking the paper in her pocket.

"You gotta do me a favor an' help Set' an' 'Enry look after my Kimble, s'il vous plait. Play wit him some, eh? Will you do dat fo' me?"

_**Of course.**_

"Bien. Gambit's gotta go now, he got no time. Au revoir, petite. Gambit's gonna miss you."

_**I'll miss you, too. Good luck.**_

He took a step back to leave, but hesitated. He came back and leaned in to kiss her, he couldn't stop himself. He wanted her mouth, he did, but didn't dare. If he kissed her there, he wouldn't be able to stop. He pressed his lips to her forehead, lingering there so she would know his heart. He withdrew, seeing the brightness of her shine.

**_/ She loves you./ _**Shi'ow-ri whispered.

_Gambit loves her, too. Hope she knows it._

_**/ She does. /**_

Molly let him go, but her hands held him as long as possible, sliding down his arms as he retreated to clasp his hand a moment before finally releasing him. He said nothing more, he didn't need to. She could see the joy in his heart and knew it was real. Everything he felt for her was real, all of it. Whatever Rogue had said about him simply didn't matter. Whomever he may have once been, that wasn't the man before her now, she knew it instinctively. She waved at him and backed away as the Blackbird's jets came to life with a high pitched whine. It was time to go, it would be too loud in here.

Remy hopped up the ramp and shut the door as Scott moved the jet into position for launch. The jet was loud now and Molly had to cover her ears and retreat even farther, going all the way to the tram. The plane moved into the launch tunnel and just like that, they were gone.

In the control tower, Logan watched as Molly lingered a minute and then slowly turned back to the tram, a happy smile on her face. It did nothing to ease his worry. She was falling in love with a scoundrel, a veritable chick magnet. Gambit couldn't go anywhere without calling attention to himself. He was an arrogant trickster, a perpetual flirt. How was Molly supposed to deal with it? He sighed again and lit a cigarette, trying to relax. He would just have to wait, bide his time. Maybe this would all blow over. Meanwhile there was Kimble to deal with. Time to worry about the bigger problem at hand.


	7. Chapter 7

(Seven)

It was a few days later when Wolverine strolled into the Med Bay, bored. Fallen had been building some more bracelet cloaking devices and he was curious how she was making out. There had been no word from Yosemite regarding the Games master just yet, but they had known from the beginning that the Games Master might not be found the first week or even the second. Remy called several times a day to keep them updated, mostly conferring with Seth and keeping tabs on Kimble's condition. In the meantime, everyone was just killing time, waiting until something happened. It was early in the day right now and no one was the in Lab just yet. Wolverine went to the work bench and saw the bracelets there. He picked one up and fiddled with it impatiently. "Henry? You around?"

No answer.

He walked through the lab towards Henry's quarters in the back. He paused and took a step back the way he'd come. He'd heard some soft snoring and next noticed Kimble out of the corner of his eye. The pilot had wedged himself between two large pieces of lab equipment on the floor. He was wrapped in a blanket, a Lin leftover, asleep and the source of the soft snoring. Logan shook his head in wonder, this space was even smaller than the area above the dryers in the laundry room.

"Lin likes it there," Henry said, coming out of his bathroom. He'd just showered and was ready to start his day. "I couldn't figure out why until I realized the vents are there. He likes the heat."

"Humph. Long as it stays outta trouble, I could care less where it sleeps."

Logan had long since given up on trying to understand the puzzle that was this fractured pilot. He wasn't exactly cool with the idea of Kimble being let out of the holding cells again, but he'd been outvoted. Henry was temporarily in charge of the Siskan while Gambit was gone to Yosemite and had gotten SHIELD approval for Kimble's release on a temporary basis as part of his therapy. That permission hadn't come without some expense -- Henry had had to bargain some technology for it and had passed on some of Fallen's cloaking bracelets to Nick Fury. Fury had seen them in action at Yankee Stadium and was itching to get his hands on them. (Seth of course immediately upgraded the remaining Xavier stock to better models than what Fury had been given, but the man didn't need to know that.) The deal was sealed with a condition -- if Kimble tried to leave the property or was in any way destructive to any buildings or civilians in a way SHIELD could detect, the Siskan would be back in a cell permanently, one in a SHIELD prison. The good doctor was confident he could keep Kimble under wraps, he hadn't lost his hope that being around people would encourage the Lover to come out and regain control of the body. It hadn't happened yet. Lin was predominantly in charge, but there had been some times when 'Shay slipped out, usually to say something mean.

Logan wasn't the least bit pleased over the deal, Henry had gone over his head. Wolverine just couldn't handle all of Kimble's different voices or keep track of all the stupid names. Kimble was a machine, a stupid broken machine, but nobody here could see that. Kimble's sentiency had swayed them, but Logan knew better. As a token show of resistance, he now referred to Kimble as "it".

Logan turned as he heard Seth and Fallen come in the lab. They were joking and playing around, laughing loudly. Seth carried a new lap top computer Henry had given him. He wasn't co-ordinated enough to build the cloaking devices so he was working on integrating Fallen's Siskan technologies with the X-men's Shi'ar equipment. He could do his work on the ship, but he never left Fallen's side. He worked wherever she was.

Fallen greeted Logan and Henry then looked down at Kimble and shook her head. She kicked him gently. "Hey, sleepyhead. Wake up."

The pilot didn't even register that he'd been touched.

"How long has he been there?" Fallen asked Henry.

"I let him out about two hours ago."

The pilot was required to be in the lockup at night, but Henry often let him out early. Beast was an early riser and wanted the pilot to be out as long as possible. It had become part of his new routine to bring the Siskan out here with him to the lab to keep an eye on him. Being so low on power, the Siskan was quiet and compliant. Lin was often sluggish and sleepy and the first thing he'd done was squeeze in here to get warm. It hadn't taken him long to fall back asleep and Henry hadn't had the heart to wake him.

Fallen crouched down and tried again. "Kimble Bee, wake up."

Nothing.

She reached out and opened one of his eyes.

Lakotashay roused before Lin. She whined softly in protest and turned her head away. In spite of Fallen's insistence on calling this pilot Kimble, the Lover hadn't been out since before Remy had left.

"Hey? You in there?" Fallen prodded him a little more roughly.

Lakotashay growled irritably and squeezed even deeper into the tiny space.

"Kimble. Now."

"Five more minutes..." 'Shay protested in her high, child like voice.

"Come on. You've been there long enough. Time to get up."

'Shay covered her head with the blanket.

Fallen tugged it off and took it away all together. "Up. Now, Kimble!"

"Cunt!" 'Shay snarled as she shivered, her face crinkled in anger.

"Don't be mean. Move it."

"Call me by my name!" Fallen never did and 'Shay resented it.

"I did --- **_Kimble_**. Now get your ass up!"

'Shay spat at her and only moved in deeper.

Fallen grumbled and raised a blue fist, determined to get him out one way or another.

"Fallen, don't," Seth said, gently moving her aside. He reached out to touch his brother and spoke in Siskan, "C'mon, Lin. Let's get up."

Seth was patient and calm, his hands reaching out with the purest love. He wasn't like Fallen, he had accepted his brother's condition and went out of his way to work with Lin and 'Shay, giving them both respect. His Mistress wasn't so kind. She stubbornly refused to believe what had befallen her one time servant, seeing all this as some stupid game Kimble was pulling to punish her for neglecting him. She didn't understand what his problem was, Remy had taken control of him, even going so far as to claim him and be his Master. It should have been enough, but Kimble was being a stupid ugly child. Fallen had long since run out of patience. Poor Seth did his best to act as mediator, trying to keep the peace.

Lin shivered and came to the fore, called out by Seth's gentle touch. He rubbed his eyes and blinked around him, sleepily.**_ "What's goin' on?" _**

"_**Time to get up." **_

"**_We done the baddest things. Killded th' 'Fessor's cat. We's dangerous. Gots ta stay in the small spaces,"_** he said in his standard greeting. He wasn't really protesting, merely confessing his sins.

Seth was used to this and worked around it easily. **_"It's time for a shower. It's dusty in there." _**

Lin nodded and finally came out of the space. He stood hunched over, his body was disfigured from having been crammed into such a small area. He shook himself and stretched awkwardly, wincing a little as his skin shifted over him like a liquid while his muscles flexed themselves back into shape. His abdomen was still scored with the ugly red welts from when Kimble had clawed at himself before, his neck and eyes still bruised. Their body still stubbornly refused to heal and Henry wasn't about to give him plasma for so minor an injury. Not with him still being so mentally unstable. Lin rubbed his eyes and shuffled drunkenly to the bathroom under the guidance of his brother, complaining in a low mutter with each step.

"Not much of a morning person, is it?" Logan observed.

"It's been getting worse since he's come home. He never wants to get up. I remember when we first got here, he never slept more than a couple hours at a time," Fallen explained a little tersely. As much as she was frustrated by Kimble's strange behavior, she hated how Logan called Kimble "it" all the time even more.

"Lin and 'Shay have been getting better, though, in other ways," Henry said as he started some coffee brewing. He spent a good amount of time with the pilot now, enough to be firmly convinced that the personalities were as good as real people. "Lin's been letting 'Shay out long enough to work on the big cloaking devices for the new Blackbirds and upgrade more cloaking bracelets for the stockpiles. We should have most of them finished by tomorrow."

Lin and 'Shay had indeed been operating on a kind of truce these past weeks. Lin was in charge, but always wanted to sleep and hide the body away. Seth and Remy had been working with 'Shay, drawing her out to work in an attempt to show her that she still had value. Karen had suggested that it might boost her ego and make her less willing to destroy the body. If they could convince the Quitter she had something to live for it might be of some help. Remy was going along with it only so long as 'Shay was supervised. So far, there had only been the one ugly cat incident. After that, nothing really bad had happened so things were allowed to continue as they have been. 'Shay came out to work, happy to have some "out" time and for the most part did behave, but she had her moments.

Lakotashay was especially suspicious of Karen and still openly hostile to the poor psychologist. Lin did his best to keep 'Shay down, but she slipped out now and again, most often when Karen came around. Whenever Wolverine's lovely redhead came close, she would drive the woman way with such wonderful insults and taunts. The reality was she was fearful Kimble would be attracted to her and it would make him resistant to her ability to control him and keep him down.

It was an unnecessary fear. For the most part Kimble slept in the circle of light in his personal Black Room, content to shut himself down and lay quiet until Remy came back. Sometimes Zander would call out to him if Karen was near, hoping to tempt him. If he succeeded, Lakotashay would never be able to withstand being so outvoted and the body would be that much safer. So far, his attempts had failed. It wouldn't stop him from trying. Zander didn't trust 'Shay one bit and did his best to support Lin in being vigilant against her suicidal tendencies. He couldn't stop Lakotashay's mouth though, she kept popping up at the worst times, abusing Karen with harsh words and taunts.

The pilot's rude and abusive actions towards his girl drove Logan crazy and he made a point of being around now whenever Karen tried to talk to Kimble to draw him out. Logan's presence disturbed the doctor and at this point, she still hadn't gotten a decent interview from Kimble. Remy had explained to her about 'Shay holding Kimble ransom against his cure, but she dismissed such a thing as fantasy. It couldn't possibly be true. The Professor was aware of her frustration, but begged her for patience. Perhaps in time, Kimble would come around on his own. For the moment, it was enough that Lin was out most of the time and the pilot was quiet.

Henry was aware of Lakotashay's persistent bad intentions and did his best to see the pilot was never left alone. He found some chores for her to do, carful not to allow her near any knives or sharp tools. He was very much aware of her suicidal notions and wasn't about to make it easy for her. 'Shay was resistant to being put to task, she'd rather be off finding ways to kill herself or torment Karen --- always a fun little game --- but finally Henry and Seth had gotten her to sit down and try working a little, hoping 'Shay would see that she was still of some value.

It wasn't always easy. The plasma Neal had reluctantly given healed the body of the stricken Siskan, but Henry advised against continuing its use. Before he left, Gambit and Fallen had taken turns visiting their patient, force feeding him Ristle, hoping it would now be enough. The pilot didn't fall as low as before, but he wasn't as sharp as he'd been right after the plasma charge. They were keeping the body alive in a low mode of awareness with their power, nothing more. He was awake, yet walked around sluggishly in a perpetual fog, no matter which personality was in charge. He simply didn't get enough of a charge to be anything more than a half alert sleep walker. He was worse than Seth, being very clumsy and bumping into things, not even able to properly orient himself in the room. He would crash into something and then stand there bewildered, wondering how it could have possibly gotten into his way. Sometimes he picked up after himself, sometimes not. He'd just keep moving, forgetting what had just happened and moving on.

Lin was biding his time until the Master returned with his magical cure. He was withdrawn as was his custom, stubbornly refusing to talk to anyone about their past adventures. This bothered Gambit because he was worried something ugly would pop up like the ugly cat incident while he was gone. There was much they still didn't know and the Siskan wasn't co-operating. Lin wasn't sociable and avoided anyone who tried to acknowledge his presence. If they did he always admitted their crimes, a turn off to most conversation. He was quiet and shy, still believing that he was dangerous and poisonous. He would find new and interesting places to hide and slept most of the time. It almost became a game to see where he had managed to squeeze himself into next. 'Shay was cool with it. If they kept this up, sooner or later, the X-men would drop their guard and she would be able to finish this. It hampered her progress that she couldn't manufacture weapons anymore, but she was confident she could get her hands on something sharp if she was patient. Until then, she would wait.

--------------------

Henry smiled as Molly next came into the room. She stopped Beast and took over the coffee preparations. He let her willingly, she made the best coffee of anyone in the place.

Fallen went to the work bench and began rebuilding one of the cloaking devices. Seth had returned from seeing Lin to the shower and sat next to her, a faint smile on his lips as he watched her work. Logan observed them and liked what he saw. Unlike Kimble with all of his troubles, it was easy to forget that Seth was technically an artificial person. It didn't matter to Fallen. She looked upon him with nothing but the purest devotion. Fallen was now in the best condition she'd been in since Logan saw her for the first time. She was eating well and had gained weight. He could tell she stopped smoking and cut way back on her drinking. He didn't think she was using either. Amazing what love will do, Logan thought to himself. Between her telekinetic ability and the technology sharing, she had become a real asset to the team. It made putting up with Kimble's mental instability worthwhile.

Speaking of which, Lin came out of the bathroom showered and a little more alert. He had put on a sweatshirt and pants that had the school logo on them. The Siskan was almost always dressed in real clothes now to keep warm and he spent so much time in the lab now that Henry had kept some clothes for him here. Molly had altered the shirts with a special sleeve on the back so that the pilot could wear them if he kept his wings closed. Since he was no longer able to really fly, he had no need to spread his wings anyway. The clothes helped to keep him warm and as comfortable as possible. Lin had now taken one of Henry's large towels and used it to form his makeshift shroud, swallowing up his head and shoulders under the thick heavy cloth.

Lin passed Logan by without a greeting and sat opposite Fallen at the work bench. He said nothing to anyone, but gave a small whimper of distress as Seth came to him and gently pulled the towel away. His hair was a clumped up disaster under there as Seth had suspected and the young Siskan now began to use a brush to carefully work the mess. When 'Shay was out their hair was kept loose, making it susceptible to tangling and matting. Lin simply didn't care, he just covered it up, oblivious to the tangling of it. Seth had taken over Kimble's personal hygiene while Remy was away, helping Henry out by making sure Kimble was washed and properly clothed.

Seth caught the brush on a tangle and 'Shay popped out in anger. "Asshole! Why don'tcha just rip our whole fuckin' head off!"

Seth froze, upset. "Sorry."

'Shay grumbled, unhappy. Irritated now, she grabbed at one of the bracelet cloaks and started working on it. She was doing a poor job of it, her fingers were slow and uncoordinated. No one bothered to correct the mistakes she made, they were happy to just keep her busy.

"You still got a big smart mouth," Logan growled at her. The devastated look on Seth's face pissed him off, he knew Seth wasn't going to say anything so he would.

"Yeah, well, fuck you, too!" 'Shay snapped, daring him to act.

Logan bristled, but kept his mouth shut. It was no use arguing with this one, she was as mean as they came --- an ugly, broken hearted little child.

'Shay tuned him right out as soon as he was quiet, not even giving him the dignity of her notice. She wasn't looking at what she was doing, her mind was now somewhere else. She was fantasizing that their former Master, the big and lovely Sabretooth had broken free from the SHIELD prison and was coming back for them. He was going to walk right through that door any moment and take them away. It was the only hope she clung to in her dark, empty world.

Seth went back to work on 'Shay's hair, being much more gentle. A tear spilled down his cheek from her harsh mouth but he ignored it. He was here to take care of his poor broken brother the same as Kimble had always looked out after him. He was sure there had been times that it hadn't always been pleasant for Kimble and so now it was with him. He only just had to deal with it a few more days. Remy would come back and all of this was going to be better. Things would go back to the way they had been, he had to believe this. It was the only thing keeping his heart from breaking.

Logan watched 'Shay closely as she worked, grunting softly when he saw her movements slowly cease until she was quite still, lost in some kind of trance. With their power so low, the Siskan 'gram continued to stutter. He would move about and stop, only to resume a few seconds later where he had left off. That wasn't true of this moment however, 'Shay had fully embraced her dream and was gone in every sense that mattered. She stayed that way a few moments then picked up where she left off, clearly unaware that she'd stepped out for a moment. Lakotashay glanced once at the door, expectantly, but then went back to work, a sad, perplexed look on her face.

Logan could see the pilot was still wearing the tracking bracelet. As a condition of her release from the holding cell, she was made to wear the bracelet so she could be located at any time. An alarm would sound if she tried to take it off or leave the house. So far the pilot had stayed put. He hadn't left the lower levels since the cat incident.

Now 'Shay was out and working, under some control from Lin's watchful eye and Henry's care. After the cat incident, the Siskan had spent a couple of days in the holding cells under close watch before being allowed to come out again. 'Shay had come out and had committed no further crimes other than being frightfully rude to everyone. She was most often working numbly in the lab like a zombie. Her face and neck were still horribly bruised from Logan's beating. Like the scratches Kimble had given himself, the wounds remained. If she recalled the cat incident, she gave no sign. She had realized that it wouldn't bring the death she had wanted, it was a repeat of the failure she'd had with Cameron and the prostitutes. Like everything else, she just blotted it out and forgot it. She preferred now to daydream of the Master, their real one. Kristalay. The one who would come back for them, belt in hand.

Molly came close and set a cup of coffee next to her with a soft bark. 'Shay didn't acknowledge her and Molly stepped away, a sad look in her eyes.

Molly had been intensely curious about the pilot from the first time she saw him, but he never noticed her. He had been so wounded and broken, his weakness a strange draw for her. Her fascination kept her close, the fact that Remy spent so much time with him making it that much easier. Here now was that mysterious friend of Gambit's that everyone had been whispering about all this time. The picture on Gambit's wall hadn't done him justice, he was even more handsome in real life. He was sparkling white and beautiful in spite of his bruises, she could see why he had captured Remy's heart. He was working his way quietly into hers as well. She had made Kimble the clothes he now wore but he didn't even know it. He'd taken them from her numbly and put them on, never raising his eyes. It didn't deter her interest.

Seth had noticed her curiosity and knew Remy had asked her to give him a hand with his less than co-operative brother. Lin was out most often and some attempts were made to teach him how to read Molly's sign language. He did his best to learn, but with his power so low, it was a difficult process. He rarely even played on the computer anymore since Remy had gone. The more his Master was gone, the more the pilot was falling into a terrible lethargy. He was losing his will to come out and interact with others.

Molly did her best to help Seth keep him moving. She made Kimble coffee every morning even though he never seemed to see her. He would just take the cup a few minutes later, it taking that long for him to even register that it was there.

It wasn't a discriminatory thing, Lin and 'Shay simply walked around in a total fog most of the time. Karen had tried to explain to Molly that Kimble was sick and that he just needed time. Molly didn't really understand. He didn't look sick, but then she couldn't smell him. Well, he was bruised, but he'd been a zombie even before that so it didn't count. She knew that it bugged Mr. Logan that he couldn't smell Kimble, but it didn't bother her. She just accepted it. Kimble intrigued her, his being a bit of competition for her as far as Gambit's attention. It was hard for her to be mad at him or dislike him. No, she was becoming somewhat enchanted with him instead, just as Gambit had been in the beginning. He was so beautiful, but he was so wounded, something broken that nobody knew how to fix. It brought out the little mother in her, she couldn't help it, and she was happy to help out.

Lakotashay finished a couple of bracelets and Lin displaced her. He announced his return by reaching for the towel again and silently covering up, rumpling the hair that Seth had worked so hard to straighten. He tucked his legs up under him in the chair, making himself small. As he moved, he noticed the cup of coffee there. He looked at the cup, puzzled and not sure how it got there, but then no longer cared. He was always cold now without the plasma and liked hot drinks. He took the cup, spilling some of it sloppily, and took it with him as he left to smoke a cigarette out in the hall.

Lin was a child, but liked cigarettes as Kimble did. They were red and glowed with such a happy red light. Henry didn't approve, but Remy had indulged the pilot. Gambit was happy with anything the Siskan did that didn't involve killing or staring off into space. He'd left some packs of smokes for Lin behind and Beast allowed it so long as he smoked only a couple a day and out in the hall where he could be seen. Lin often used the desire to smoke as a means to go off by himself so his departure was not unusual. He curled up next to the soda machine where he could still be seen from the lab. He knew if he went too far, someone would follow him and he just wanted to be alone.

Fallen watched Kimble through the lab door as he sat down slumped against the wall, his head back. He let smoke drift lazily from his mouth and closed his eyes. He shut everything out and dreamed he was somewhere else.

"I don't know what's worse, its bein' a pain in the ass or walkin' around like a friggin' zombie," Logan complained.

"He's still recovering," Seth said, excusing him. "It will take some time."

Fallen got up and joined Lin out in the hall, still hoping that if she gave him enough love, he would snap out of this game he was playing. She crouched down in front of him. She took one of his hands and watched it glow a faint blue as he took some Ristle from her.

He spoke to her in Lin's tiny voice, once more confessing his crimes, but didn't shiver or show any sign of getting a rush from being fed. He almost looked bored. Fallen whispered to him in Siskan, but he shook his head and turned away without speaking. She patted his shoulder and returned to the lab with an unhappy look on her face.

"What now?" Seth asked impatiently.

"He can't feel the Ristle at all. I wonder if it's even doing anything."

"It must or he wouldn't keep taking it."

"He never asks for it. He only gets it when I think to give it to him."

"I hope Remy comes back soon," Seth said, his voice a little sad.

Like Karen, Logan was also skeptical about the whole Games Master thing and voiced his opinion. "I still don't see how some Dognan guy is gonna fix yer Kimble just like that. Still sounds like a load of crap ta me."

"At this point, anything would be a help," Henry replied. "It's sad to see Kimble like this. He was meant for much greater things than this."

Lin saw that they were talking about him again. They were upset and worried, signs of his disease at work, it was time to go hide again. He got up and limped off, not caring that 'Shay's work wasn't finished. He didn't feel like being around anyone right now. He didn't feel like doing anything. He just wanted to go back to sleep and forget about everything.

'Shay didn't argue and let him have total control. She missed the plasma and its warm happy glow. Now she was just empty and cold. She missed Kristalay's hard fists and that hot rough love, but since Sabretooth hadn't escaped and come for them, she figured they weren't worthy of that beautiful painful magic anymore. With no real Master, she served no real purpose now and living was an empty waste of time. Henry's attempts to make her find value in working hadn't succeeded.

Lin wasn't one to travel far. He went two doors down the hall to the laundry room. He went to the dryers, they were still double stacked, and turned the top two on. He set them for an hour's dry time and crawled up into the crack just as Kimble once had so very long ago. The crack soon filled up with warmth from the machines and the gentle rhythm lulled him back to sleep once more.

He never saw Seth as the young Siskan followed him in. Seth hadn't been ordered to follow Kimble, he'd done it on his own. He didn't trust Lakotashay at all and wasn't about to let his brother go off alone. Seth had done as much as he could for his brother, even going so far as to wear a tracking bracelet as well, just to generate some sympathy and an atmosphere of being on an equal standing. Fallen was happy about it, she always wanted to know where he was, but Lin never noticed.

Seth had plenty of work back in the lab but he chose now to stay here. He used the intercom to tell Fallen where they had gone and then picked up a magazine from the rack to read. There were always plenty to chose from, the Professor was adamant about learning and had a great many subscriptions to books of all kinds. Sooner or later, they all ended up in here as folks came to wash their clothes. He selected one about traveling and looked at the lovely, glossy pictures. He stopped reading when he heard soft whimpering from above, Lin was dreaming and it wasn't a happy one.

Seth pulled his chair up to the crack and climbed up, careful to use the machines to steady himself. He couldn't see well in the dark, but didn't need to, to hear his brother cry. "M-master..." 'Shay was sobbing. "Why didja leaves us? S-so cold here... S-so alone... D-don wants ta be alone no more... They won' lets us die... just wants ta die... come back. Come back, please. S'okay if ya wants ta use the belt... I won' care. J-jus don' leaves us all alone no more... We'll be good, I promise..."

Seth stood in his chair and reached out to his brother, fresh tears streaming from his eyes. Kimble was suffering, dying in his soul day by day and he just didn't know what to do. None of the selves responded to his touch nor his grief, 'Shay just continued to cry in the darkness, the sound of her broken heart more than Seth could bear.


	8. Chapter 8

(Eight)

Fallen sighed and kissed Seth as he pulled away from her. It was afternoon now and they were back on the Dragon, finishing up a nice little play session of their own. Kimble had been safely put away back in his cell for a while, freeing Seth from his babysitting duties. The poor Siskan had spent most of the morning in the laundry room, bored out of his mind. He'd read most of the magazines there until finally Henry had come to put Kimble away, giving Seth a break. Fallen had come with him, frowning when she saw Seth's downcast eyes and tear streaked face. When she saw his spirits had tanked so low, she knew the best way to cheer him up. He was a fool for a quick tumble. Of course it worked like a charm and he was laughing now and more like his usual self.

She didn't know the last time she'd ever been this fit, this happy. This was a bliss she had never hoped to attain. She laughed softly and lay next to him, contented. It was warm in the ship and they were both sweating from their passionate workout.

"Kimble worries me, Fallen," Seth whispered after they had both settled down a bit.

"He's been good lately. He hasn't done anything bad since the cat. Besides, Remy will call soon. They'll talk on the phone and he'll be all right."

"No he won't be all right. It's been two weeks. Okay he hasn't been violent, but he's as good as dead, Fallen. He sleeps all the time and Lin is always so sad. Poor Kimble's heart has been broken. Besides, he's terrified of the phone, you know that. We have to do something else. Maybe you should try bringing him outside."

"Kimble isn't allowed out."

"Take him anyway."

"What are you suggesting?"

"If I was so sad, what would you do?"

Fallen answered without hesitation. "I'd take you to the flower field."

"So take him there. Spend some real time with him, Fallen. He's alone all the time."

"We have to finish work on the cloaking device for the Blackbirds."

"It can wait. Let's take him out to the wild flower field."

"I'll get in trouble."

"It'll be worth it if it brings Kimble back out again."

"All right. We'll go after lunch," she relented, doing this not for Kimble, but for Seth. She couldn't take another day of seeing her lover's face soaked with tears. His misery was more than she could bear.

Seth was pleased by her answer and gently touched Fallen's face. "You are so beautiful."

She laughed. "You're biased."

"Maybe. But it's true all the same. I love you."

"It sounds better in Siskan, don't you think?"

"**Wasayachay natooroo, my Fallen**."

"**Wasayachay natooroo, Seth**." She and kissed her Siskan tenderly and pulled him close, wrapping him around her. They snuggled down into the blankets and dozed.

-------------------

After her nap and some lunch, Fallen found Kimble back in his cell. He was tucked under his bed, curled up tight in a blanket and snoring softly. It had been a while since she'd been down here to see him and what she saw upset her greatly. He'd been sleeping when they came to the lab this morning, and then spent most of the time after that snoozing on top of the dryers. There was no reason for him to be asleep again now. This was very wrong.

Worse than that was what he'd left on the table. Once more he'd been given paper and pencils with which to draw. He'd left a few sketches out and she looked at some of the pictures he had drawn. They were all portrayals of violent sex between two men. The one always being beaten and raped was a crude rendition of a pilot, it seemed Lin did not draw as accurately as Kimble had, his scrawls were that of a child's. She didn't know for sure who the other one was, but the big claws gave her an idea. She shivered in revulsion. Maybe she should try talking to Karen about this, that was why she was here after all.

Fallen set the pictures down and came to the bed. She gave Kimble a nudge with her foot, trying to be gentle. "Hey."

Lin gave a soft Siskan protest. **_"Go 'way. We's dangerous."_**

Fallen sighed and crouched down, trying to swallow her temper. Kimble was still playing his ridiculous game and she would be forced to play along to get him to do what she wanted. Her Siskan was getting rusty from lack of use, but she managed. **_"C'mon, buddy. I need you to help me with something." _**

Lin pulled the blanket back from his eyes. **_"What do ya wants?" _**

"_**Come out to the Lab with me." **_

She had no intention of going to the Lab of course, she was going to take him the Lucky Dragon. Fallen knew that the only way to get Kimble outside without bringing the whole house down was to sneak him out by the waterfall. She would never get the tracking bracelet off of him without setting the alarms so she would have to hope that they would have some time in the confusion by being in an unlikely place. The flower field was close by there, maybe she could get Kimble out long enough for some miracle to happen.

"**_Okay,"_** Lin said, not realizing what he was agreeing to. **_"But we's gots to be vera careful. Bein' with us kin be real bad." _**

"**_It'll be okay,"_** she promised and helped him to come out. He was still bruised and little dusty from hiding, it made him look unkempt. Looking at poor Kimble's ruined body made her realize just how much she missed her playful friend. It was like he'd been gone forever. She was filled with a surge of grief and Lin paused, feeling it.

"**_Yer sick. Sick from us. I kin feels it,"_** he said, a tear leaking out. **_"I'm sorry we's so bad." _**

Fallen smiled sadly and kissed him gently to reassure. She was concerned he'd retreat and all of this would be for nothing. **_"I'm not sick and you haven't been bad. Come help me, please." _**

" '**_Kay,"_** Lin agreed and shuffled after her, his head and shoulders down under his blanket shroud.

They left the cell and paused at the desk. As a condition of Kimble's restricted release, the Siskan had to be signed out into someone's custody. Fallen signed her name on the pad, stating that she was taking him back to the Lab. In his fog, Lin didn't question her. He did become aware however, that once they left the Security area, they turned the wrong way.

"_**Wheres we's goin'?" **_

"_**I need some things at the ship." **_

"_**Cain't go down there. 'S 'gainst the rules." **_

"**_I forgot something and it's easier to go back to the ship than put you back in your cell. It won't take long,"_** Fallen lied once more, using the full extent of her deception powers against him. In his low power state, she was successful. Lin wasn't happy but he meekly followed her, his head down.

Once in the hanger, his head popped up. He looked up at the Lucky Dragon, a strange look of longing in his eyes. He hadn't been here since his return so it had been almost a year since he'd seen it. It brought back some happy memories and he whimpered softly.

"**_What?"_** Fallen asked, seeing his wonder.

" '_**S been so long. I ain't never seen it. Kim's seen it, but not me. It ain't like in the memories." **_

"_**Do you want to go inside?" **_

Lin shook his head. **_"Don't wants ta spread our sickness in there. We's gonna wait outside." _**

"**_Seth is there,"_** Fallen offered. If he was willing to go inside, maybe she could get off the hook about bringing him outside. He looked a little more alert already from the short trip here.

"_**Don' wants ta be makin' him sick, neither. He's with us too much as it is." **_

"**_Suit yourself,"_** she replied impatiently, still tugging on him. She was going to get in so much trouble for this. She resigned herself to her fate and they walked past the ramp of the ship without going inside.

Lin stopped, forcing her to pause. **_"Wheres we's goin'? You says you wuz gonna go inside." _**

"_**Change of plans." **_

Lin's face began to show sign of panic. It was big in here and he could sense trouble. **_"What change?" _**

"_**We're going somewhere else." **_

"_**Wheres?" **_

"_**Outside." **_

"**_Cain't go out!"_** Lin shouted, trying to jerk away from her. His blanket fluttered to the floor, exposing him even more. **_"We promised the Master! Gots ta stay in the small spaces where it's safe!" _**

Fallen had reached her end. She snatched at the flailing, struggling pilot and forced him along. With her telekinesis, he was easy enough to control. She dragged him squeaking and protesting through the hanger and down the launch tube to the outer door. She broke the lock on the sealed door with a blast of Ristle, not an easy task with the flailing Siskan in her arms, but she managed. They flew out past the waterfall and up into the sky. Lin's screaming reached a fever pitch in the bright white open and he dug his nails into her skin, leaving ugly, red welts on Fallen's arms. His former Mistress wouldn't let him go, not even when the house alarm began to chirp as Kimble's bracelet activated and sounded off outside the Mansion. They wouldn't have much time.

Fallen flew as quickly as she could out to the wildflower field and dumped her burden down near where some tulips and daffodils had begun to sprout. It had been a very mild winter and it was a warm and early spring. Some of the flowers had bravely bloomed early. She hoped Seth was right about this, she was certain to get in trouble for taking Kimble out of the house. Looking around her at all the bright flowers, she figured this was the only thing that would work. Beyond this, there was no hope for Kimble. No hope at all.

Lin landed with a grunt, crushing some of the flowers and making a cloud of petals in the air. He grumbled and crouched down, protecting his eyes. **_"Bitch!"_** he muttered as an obligatory response to being ignored the whole way and then tossed like so much garbage. He was angry and scared but it faded fast. The bright afternoon sun felt good on his cold skin. Very good, actually. It was an usually warm day for March, it was almost sixty degrees out and a treasure. Lin gave a soft cry as Kimble responded eagerly to the warmth of the sun and seized control with surprising ease.

**_Hey! _**Lin cried out from inside.

_Sorry, little guy. You been here too long as it is, _Kimble replied with a shiver of happiness.

"You okay?" Fallen asked, touching him lightly.

"Uhhnn...Fallen?"

"Hey, there," she said responding to the voice she had missed so much and kissed him.

He slid his shirt off over his head and stretched, opening his wings. He flapped them vigorously to shake off some of his numbness and then fanned them out to better absorb the heat from the sun. Lakotashay still kept their hair loose and it shimmered around him now in a bright black sea, catching the bright shine of the sun. For the first time in a long time, he felt beautiful and very much alive. He looked around him, really noticing where he was for the first time. He saw the pretty flowers and was enchanted by all the colors. He touched their petals and smelled them, smiling.

Fallen sat down beside him and closed her eyes, smelling him. "You look better."

The bright lovely sun filled his body with warmth and he felt amazing. He was waking up, thinking clearly. He grunted at her happily. "I feels better. Sun's good."

"No sun on Cerise. Not like this."

"I don' ever wants ta go back there again."

"We won't. That's a promise." She put a hand on his shoulder, feeling him. He was warming up quickly and becoming more alert.

'Shay was protesting from the Black Room as vigorously as Lin had been. This was not good for her at all. _We gots ta go back inside!_ she complained. She looked for any excuse to get them out of the warm, life giving sun. _It's against the rules!_

_I don't care,_ Kimble replied, not giving in to her. He smiled and flapped his wings some more, enjoying the stretch. _This feels too good._

"You want to fly around?" Fallen asked, concerned by his silence. She was unaware he'd been talking all along, just not with her.

He laughed. "Fool around?" It was the first joke he'd made in a long time.

"Fly, silly."

"Don' know if I kin do that no more."

"Why don't you try?" she suggested.

"I don't think so, bub."

Fallen looked up into the face of an outraged Wolverine. He and some of the others had come from the house, alerted by his bracelet's alarm. They had gotten here quickly, given a lift by Max. He was standing close by, harnesses in hand.

Kimble saw Wolverine and crouched down submissively. He felt Lin swirl and struggle for control, demanding that his tiny warning be given. Instead, Kimble said, "I ain't done nuthin' bad. Fallen brung me out."

"Kimble?" Henry inquired from behind Logan, his face breaking out into a smile. "What brings you out?"

"The sun," Fallen replied, answering for him. "Feel how warm he is."

Kimble whimpered fearfully and backed up, but Henry caught him easily. "Easy, Kim. No one's going to hurt you. How do you feel?"

"I dunno. Better. Why's evraone all starin' at me?"

"It's been a long while since you've spoke to any of us. We've missed you. You feel stronger?"

Kimble looked up into Wolverine's hostile eyes with real fear and answered Henry's question. "Yeah. I ain't so sleepy now."

Henry turned Kimble's head away, not wanting him to be frightened by the crowd that had now gathered around him, Neal and Warren had been on patrol and came down to join them. There was quite the little party going on down here. "He must be absorbing plasma from the sun," Beast offered, agreeing with what Fallen said. "It makes perfect sense. Victor Creed said Mary's power came from the sun, Neal's does as well. If it charges him, but not as much as a plasma blast itself, there just might be some hope for this guy. We should stay here and run some tests. I'll need some equipment from my lab."

"This is a violation of SHIELD orders," Wolverine protested. "He shouldn't even be out of the holding cells as much as he is, never mind out here. 'Sides, if he charges up, what's keepin' him from gettin' all rowdy again?"

"Kimble isn't rowdy. 'Shay is and she's not out at the moment. Kimble needs to charge. You're not a scientist, but even you can see he hasn't been functioning properly. Look now, the bruises under his eyes are already fading. I suspect the bruises on his neck will heal as well. Logan, please."

Wolverine fidgeted nervously as he tried to decide. Henry had a point, Kimble was looking much better, but he had security issues to consider here as well. "You wanna run yer tests, fine. But not here. We all go back to the house and he stays out on the patio. It's too open here."

"Fine," Henry agreed happily.

"I want his bracelet changed. He flies past the perimeter markers of the house, he gets a shock. We all know he can't take electricity. I won't have him takin' off like this."

"I took him," Fallen protested. "This is my doing."

"Can't figure out why, seein' as you don't take his game no better than I do, but it don't matter. He ain't goin' nowhere, understand?"

"I'll have the containment bracelets fitted on him immediately," Henry promised, getting in between them. He was eager to begin his tests.

Logan was still uneasy. He tried to think of everything. "I don't want them filament locks on them, neither. The Cajun already taught this guy how ta pick 'em. He ain't gettin' another chance."

"Absolutely." Henry eased Kimble to his feet. "Let's go."

"What's goin' on?" Kimble whimpered, confused by the exchange of words.

"We're going to help you. Come with me."

To be continued in Finding Angel.


End file.
